Bound By Loyalty
by DecorusSomnium
Summary: At 25 years old, Buffy Summers is tired of being the Slayer. Until she gets a certain letter, that is. But trouble seems to always follow the Slayer. Now, what is she to do? BuffySirius. Chapter 20 up! Complete!
1. Not Myself

Title: Bound by Loyalty

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Harry Potter- Pretty much books 1-4.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Seasons 1-5 and some of season 6.

Pairings: Buffy/Sirius Black, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione

Summary: Buffy gets a letter inviting her to help teach at Hogwarts. Dumbledore tells her about the fight with Voldemort, and she agrees to help protect Harry Potter. While there, she learns things about herself that she never knew, and she finds a way to live. Meanwhile, Sirius Black can't stop thinking about the blonde Slayer that has suddenly invaded his life. 

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them. Buffy goes to Whedon, and Harry and everybody in the Potter-verse go to Rowling. If you don't recognize anyone, they're probably mine. I do own the plot, though. Don't sue. Please.

Author's note: I kind of changed things in the Harry Potter universe. Did you see the pairings? If you did, you will notice that Buffy and Sirius Black will be a couple. So that means that Sirius is cleared of any crime. He is now working at Hogwarts as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. It'll explain more in the story. Now, for the Buffy universe. Seasons one, two, three, four and five happened. This is five years after Once More with Feeling, but Buffy and Spike never kissed or anything. The gang knows Buffy was in Heaven, and Giles hasn't left yet. 

There. I hope I have explained it all.

If you have any questions ask if you review, or e-mail me at 

Sk8terBratz0057@msn.com. Thanks. Now, on with the story...

Oh, and this is just the first story in my Bound series. If you like this one, keep watch for the next one.

************************Chapter One: Strange Nights************************

'God resigned, from hearing my old story,

Every night, I'm paying hell for glory

I'm embarrassed but I'm much more sorry.'

-Shakira "Fool"

It was so dark. And cold. She could feel the cold seeping through her skin into her very bones. Something wasn't right here. Nothing ever was. She couldn't really see anything, except for the occasional fuzzy outline of a person running. Running to, or from, Buffy had no idea what. 

Sometimes, something brushed at her foot, almost making her fall. Every time she'd look down, and every time it was the same thing. A body. Of who or what, Buffy couldn't tell it was all so silent, and she was so confused. Then the screaming began. The horrible screaming. As she grew closer to the source of the sound, she could see an outline of a house. She could also hear what was being yelled.

"Harry, not Harry... Please not Harry... Take me instead!... Harry!" At that last scream, there was a great flash of light. Green light.

Then Buffy woke up. Drenched with sweat and tears, her eyes frantically searched her room. Sighing with relief she lay back down, facing the clock. 4:30. With a groan, Buffy realized she'd only been asleep for two hours. 'This sucks,' she thought, her mind wandering to her nightmare. Buffy knew it was more than a nightmare. Her dreams were rarely just dreams.

"Prophetic dreams bite ass." She said to herself with a sigh.

Rolling over, she fluffed her pillow and closed her eyes, hoping sleep would claim her once again. No such luck. Instead, she saw the darkness and the green flash of light. She heard the screams and the sound of a baby wailing. Her eyes shot open and her breathing came out in short gasps. She swung her legs out of her bed. No more sleep tonight.

She walked to the bathroom across the hall and turned on the light. Looking in the mirror at her reflection, she saw the beginnings of circles forming under her eyes Her light green eyes with blue specks swirling around looked dead. She felt dead. Again. Her friends used to say that there was fire in her eyes Giles told her that Slayers rarely had that light because they lost it when they were called. She didn't lose hers. Not until later.

"I'm not even bitter, or angry, or even sad. When I think of Giles or my friends, I don't feel anything. I don't even feel revulsion when I think of Spike. God, what is wrong with me?" Buffy asked aloud. She could feel a headache starting.

Splashing water on her face, she took out the aspirin. Swallowing two, she walked out of the bathroom, not looking at her reflection again. Turning the light off, she walked quietly by Willow and Tara's room. Seeing her sister's door slightly ajar, Buffy walked in and up to her bed. Tucking the blankets around Dawn, she lightly kissed her forehead and tip-toed out, shutting the door behind her.

Walking down the stairs, she headed in the direction of the kitchen. Switching on the light, she set about making a cup of hot chocolate. With the milk boiling, she glanced towards the window and had to stifle a scream. With a confused look, she realized what she was seeing. An owl. That was pecking at her window. She quickly opened the window and jumped back as the snowy white and ashy grey owl swooped in, landing on the island in the middle of the kitchen. "Is it a possessed owl or something?" Buffy said quietly to herself.

As she got closer to the animal, she saw a letter attached to Its leg. Feeling rather silly, she reached a tentative hand out to the creature, which was looking pretty impatient. She untied the letter and walked away from the bird, looking at it warily. Unfolding the letter, she read what it said:

Dear Miss Buffy Summers,

My name is Albus Dumbledore, and I am the Headmaster at the school Hogwarts for Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am aware of you position as the Vampire Slayer, currently situated atop the Hellmouth. I have heard that you have recently died and gone to Heaven, only to be brought back. But things here in Scotland are not very well. The Dark Lord Voldemort is coming to power. Hogwarts needs a Slayer. Whilst not the best place or time for a vacation, I think this will help you come to order. You will be given the position of assistant to Professor Sirius Black, the teacher of Defense Against the Dark Arts, should you accept my invitation. Dark times are at hand, and my world desperately needs you. Please reply by August 31st This school owl, Hannah, will come back once a week. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Headmaster of Hogwarts for Witchcraft and Wizardry

With trembling hands, Buffy sat on the stool in her kitchen heavily. A school for magic? A school that had an evil dark wizard? Of course. Buffy sighed, realizing she'd have to have a Scooby meeting about this. So, this wizarding world needed her help?

'This sucks,' she thought.

*************************Chapter Two: Decisions***************************

'I try to keep awake

I try to swim beneath

But still I find this narcolepsy slides

Into another nightmare.'

-Third Eye Blind "Narcolepsy"

"So you're telling me this Albus Dumbledore guy wants you to save his world? And you're thinking about doing it?" Xander asked Buffy, incredulously.

"Well...yeah." She answered carefully.

It was eleven o'clock in the afternoon. Buffy had called the meeting a half an hour ago. She had explained her dreams and the owl surprise last night. Or, er... this morning. She told them she might go. Xander, Anya, Willow, Tara, Dawn, and Spike were all surprised about the magic school, and angry at her decision. All except Giles, who was strangely keeping quiet.

"Buffy, you have got to be kidding us! This isn't one of your most brilliant ideas, I must admit." Willow told her.

"Bloody hell, woman. Listen to the witch. You can't just leave." Spike practically yelled.

"You can't tell me what to do Spike, so shut the hell up!" Buffy did yell. This was not going at all how she planned it to go.

"What if this guy is some creep or loony? Or a vampire or some evil thing trying to lure you away from the hellmouth? Buffy, you could be walking into a trap!" Dawn was scared. She didn't want to lose her sister. Not after having lost her just five years ago. Things were going good. They were getting better. 

"I can assure you, Dumbledore is no loon or vampire. He is one of the most powerful wizards in the world. And this magic school does exist." Giles spoke up for the first time since the discussion had begun. Everyone stared at him in astonishment. Giles knew about this school? What the hell? He took off his glasses and sighed. Cleaning them, he began. "When I was a child of eleven, I got a letter. My father had already started training me as a watcher. When the letter came, he was so proud that I had got accepted to the best wizarding school. 'Only the best for my son,' he would say. I promptly packed and got my school supplies. He sent me off to Hogwarts and my school year began. I got put into Gryffindor House."

Seeing their blank stares, he elaborated. "There were four founders of Hogwarts: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. Anyhow, being at Hogwarts was the best seven years of my life. I learned magic, potions, herbs. I graduated top of my class. Dumbledore wasn't the Headmaster then. He was just the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. After I graduated, things went downhill from there. A group of my friends and I started dabbling in the Dark Arts. Then Eyghon started. You know the rest." He nodded at Buffy, who shivered.

"After that mess, my father was so embarrassed that **his** son played with the Dark Arts. He made me train to be a Watcher and forget about Hogwarts and to pretend the whole wizarding world didn't even exist. I have not heard Dumbledore's name in over twenty years. I, of course, heard about Voldemort. He is after my time. Voldemort is the most powerful wizard, excluding Dumbledore, and he detests mudbloods and half-bloods." Again all he got was blank stares.

"Mudbloods are muggle, common people, born, and their powers are not from the family. Half-bloods are witches and wizards with a magical parent and a muggle parent. Pure-bloods go to Slytherin House, because Salazar Slytherin also hated anybody other than Pure-blood. He once tried to get the other founders to agree not to allow anything other than pure magic into Hogwarts. Voldemort was in Slytherin. He got followers from Slytherin to help him rid the world of half-bloods and mudbloods. When James and Lily Potter had a child fifteen years ago, they were both nineteen, just graduated from Hogwarts. I was twenty-three. Harry, their son, now goes to Hogwarts and is in his Fifth year. James and Lily were in their third when I was in my seventh. A couple of months after Harry was born, Voldemort visited them and tried to get them to join him. They refused. He killed them." At this the Scoobies gasped. "But, when he raised his wand after killing James, Lily stepped in front of young Harry and tried to protect him. She gave her life for his. When Voldemort tried to kill Harry, his spell backfired. It bounced of Harry and hit him instead. He was weakened. Fleeing the Potter's house, he ran deep into a forest to start gathering his strength. Harry, still alive, was left with nothing more than a scar. He was sent to live with his aunt, uncle, and cousin, where he got his letter to Hogwarts. That's all I know of him."

There was a moment of silence. The Buffy spoke, "Giles... I have to go and help them."

"I know Buffy."

Looking at her friends, she searched their faces for the anger she knew she'd see in their eyes. But there was none. Instead, she saw understanding, love, and some bitter disappointment. But they knew she had to go. She was the Slayer. She had to go. 

To be continued...

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Thank you all so much for reading. I hope you liked it, and please review. Keep on the lookout for further chapters! Thanks, Heather.


	2. Wizards and A School

Title: Bound by Loyalty

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Harry Potter- Pretty much books 1-4

Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Seasons 1-5 and some of Season 6

Pairings: Buffy/Sirius Black, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione

Summary: Buffy gets a letter inviting her to help teach at Hogwarts. Dumbledore tells her about the fight with Voldemort, and she agrees to help protect Harry Potter. While there, she learns things about herself that she never knew, and she finds a way to live. Meanwhile, Sirius Black can't stop thinking about the blonde Slayer that has suddenly invaded his life. 

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them. Buffy goes to Whedon, and Harry and everybody in the Potter-verse go to Rowling. If you don't recognize anyone, they're probably mine. I do own the plot, though. Don't sue. Please.

Authors Note: Thanks to **elsawriter, manticore-gurl071134, black canary, Catlimere, Crystal Cheyenne, PrincessBethy, Dreamer Child, and cancan227 **for reviewing. Sorry this took so long, I'll try to update more often. Hope you like this chapter!!!

**************************Chapter Three: Arriving********************************

Oh, you know I have seen,

A sky without sun

A man with no nation.

Saints, captive in chains,

A song with no name

For lack of imagination.

-Shakira "Eyes Like Yours" 

Harry Potter's summer was still as horrible as the previous summers. At least he had only a week to go till September first, and he would be leaving to go to the Weasley's house tomorrow. Just another day until this torture was over with. Thank God for that.

Sitting at the table in the Dursley's kitchen with the actual Dursley's outside in Aunt Petunia's garden, speaking in loud voices that Petunia's garden flowers were sure to win the award for Best Kept Tulips at the flower show coming up, Harry was glad for a few moments rest. If is Aunt and Uncle caught him taking a break from work, he'd be locked in his room without dinner. And he was hungry.

Quickly standing up, he finished cleaning the dishes as the Dursley family piled into the room. His Uncle Vernon, a big man with a thick neck, glared at Harry and growled, "Hurry up with the dishes, boy. When you're finished you can go to your room."

"Yes, sir." Harry replied, glad that he was almost done.

Draining the sink, he quickly wiped the counter off and walked up the stairs to his small bedroom. Taking out a quill and a piece of parchment, he began writing a letter to his godfather, Sirius Black.

_Dear Sirius,_

How are you? Done settling into your new house yet? I hope so, because I really want to move in after this school year and get away from the Dursley's. Your place sounds nice. You're probably at Hogwarts now, working on your classroom and getting ready for the new school year. How does it feel, knowing you're going the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor? I think it's wonderful. This year shouldn't be too bad with you there. So, Dumbledore mentioned something about a surprise? And he won't tell you what it is? I wonder what that letter was about. Must have been really important for him to have rushed out of the Great Hall in the middle of breakfast. I hope it's a good surprise. Well, I should begin on homework. See you in a week. I can't wait.

All my love,

Harry

Putting his letter into an envelope and giving it to Hedwig, his owl, he told her to give the message to Sirius at Hogwarts. Letting her outside, he then sat at his desk and began on his Potions homework.

__

******************************************************************************

Buffy was all packed. Giles had told her that she might want to pack all her weapons and most of her clothes. She had grabbed sweaters and pants because Willow had said that it was going to be pretty cold in England. She had also packed a few dresses, shorts, skirts, and tank tops. She had a bag of make-up, hair stuff, and perfume. Giles said there's not electricity at Hogwarts, so she skipped over the curling iron and hair dryer. She was ready to leave to Hogwarts.

__

**************

August 31st rolled around, and Buffy got a letter from Professor Dumbledore, telling her that Rubeus Hagrid the groundskeeper and Care of Magical Creatures professor at Hogwarts, was going to arrive at her house at 3:00 p.m. her time, 10:00 p.m. England time, and to be waiting in her backyard. At exactly 3:15, there was a great rumbling overhead, and suddenly a big giant of a man on a flying black motorcycle landed in Buffy's backyard. Pulling a stake from her jacket pocket, Buffy blinked in surprise.

" 'ello there, little ones. How are ye doin'? Rubeus Hagrid, but you can call me Hagrid. Which one of ye is Buffy Summers?" Asked the man.

Buffy raised her hand, speechless. 'This is going to be rather interesting' she thought.

**************

'Wow! Now, this is the way to travel!' Buffy thought to herself, taking in the view. She was on the back of Hagrid's flying motorcycle. And they were in the air. Hagrid had shrunk down all her trunks and suitcases, which was pretty interesting in itself. She had said goodbye to all her friends and her sister. Even Spike, who was lurking in the shadows out of sunlight's way, got a quick hug and a 'bye'.

Buffy had cried a little, so she had hurriedly got on the bike with Hagrid and took off, with her promising to write. They had been in the air for a little over an hour now, and Hagrid said they still had about 45 minutes left. He also said that it will be close to midnight at Hogwarts, and most of the professors would be asleep.

Forty-five minutes later, she was near to being asleep herself. What woke her up was a grinding noise and the sound of the ignition being turned off. Rubbing her eyes, Buffy yawned loudly and looked around. What she saw made her gasp.

They were on the lawn of the most beautiful castle she had ever seen. It was high on a cliff, with a willow tree, a big lake and a forest enclosed in darkness. The forest made her shiver. Shutting it out, she looked at the castle. Most lights were off, seeing as how it was midnight, but the lights that were on glowed warmly and let Buffy see some more of the school. What she saw she decided she liked.

"And this is a school?" Buffy asked in wonderment.

Hagrid chuckled. "Sure is," he answered. "Come on, I'll introduce ye to th' professor. Dumbledore should be waiting up."

And he was. Standing at the top of a long flight of stairs when they walked in was a man with a long snowy white beard and half-moon spectacles. He had a deep blue hat on with matching robes. Printed on the robes were stars and moons. By his side there was a prim looking woman with her hair in a tight, severe bun. She had glasses on and black, neatly un-wrinkled robes.

Buffy felt suddenly insecure about the way she was dressed. When she left Sunnydale, she thought that her black jeans, tennis shoes, and tank top were acceptable. No one said anything about robes. 'Oh, well. Who cares?" She thought.

"Hello, and welcome to Hogwarts." The man, who could only be Dumbledore, said in a kind, excited voice. "I am Professor Albus Dumbledore, and this is Minerva McGonagall, Professor of Transfiguration. I am sorry to say that all other professors are getting some sleep for tomorrow. Now, you must be the Slayer, Buffy Summers."

Buffy nodded, liking the guy already. Dumbledore smiled again. He and McGonagall descended the stairs together. When they were in front of Hagrid and Buffy, he turned to the groundskeeper. 

"Thank you for retrieving Miss Summers for me, Hagrid. You are probably tired, so why don't you leave Miss Summers' bags here and go get some sleep. After all, you do have a class tomorrow."

"Sure Professor. Good nigh' Professor McGonagall. Nice ter meet ye Buffy. Good nigh' everyone."

"Good night Hagrid. And thanks for the ride." Buffy told him as he took out her suitcases and trunks and unshrunk them. 

"Sure thing. See ye tomorrow." He turned and left.

"So, Miss Summers, shall I tell you exactly what you job will be here at Hogwarts?" Dumbledore asked Buffy.

"Only if you call me Buffy, Professor Dumbledore." Buffy responded.

"Of course, but only if you call me Albus." He answered, eyes sparkling.

"I'll think about it."

"Okay then. Now, your job here will to be helping Sirius Black teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. You have experience with that, of course." Buffy nodded. "So, you'll be helping with the vampires, Slayers, and demons section. You will also be patrolling the Forbidden Forest," Buffy recalled the dark forest, " and be on the look-out for trouble. If Voldemort attacks, we're going to need your help. If he doesn't, there are sure to be attacks by his followers. The students arrive tomorrow night in time for dinner. I will introduce you to the other professors and the students at the same time as a surprise. 

I do love surprises. So, if you will avoid being seen by the professors or anything else until 8:00 tomorrow night, everything will work out. I will enjoy seeing the look on everyone's faces. Tomorrow, when you come out for dinner, just go down that hall," he pointed, " to the big doors. That is the Great Hall. Breakfast and lunch will be served to you in your room by the house-elves," at this Buffy raised her eyebrows, "so, Professor McGonagall, if you would be so kind as to show Buffy her room, I will be grateful," he finished.

"Of course, Headmaster." It was the first time McGonagall spoke.

"Good night, Buffy Summers. I will see you again tomorrow night. And remember to be in the Great Hall by 8:00 p.m. Good night Minerva." With that he turned and walked away.

"Good night, Albus." McGonagall said.

"Night, Dumbledore," Buffy echoed.

"Well, come this way." She started to walk away with two of Buffy's lighted suitcases, leaving a trunk of weapons and a third suitcase. Buffy grabbed them and hurriedly followed McGonagall up a flight of stairs, down a hall, up another flight of stairs, down another hall to a bedroom with a statue of an angel in front of the door. 

"You need to make up a password," Professor McGonagall said briskly.

"Umm…chocolate kisses?" Buffy asked tentatively. The statue swung open, revealing a large office on the other side of the door. The office had a desk with a chair, a few couches, and two seats in front of the desk. The wall had a few paintings of moving people. Moving people! Buffy stared in amazement, but the action of McGonagall opening another door made her move.

Behind this door was another large room with a queen sized bed with red silk sheets. It had couch, dresser, table with two chairs, and a walk in closet. Professor McGonagall put her bags down and motioned toward the many candles and lanterns about with her wand, muttering words. The room was lit up.

Pointing to another doorway, McGonagall said, "That is the bathroom. It ahs a bathtub, so you do not have to worry about finding a place to bathe. Breakfast will be brought to you at 10:00 promptly. Have a good sleep." She turned around and started towards the doorway. 

"Good night." Buffy said. 

"Good night." McGonagall replied.

Sighing, Buffy got out her pajamas, decided to unpack tomorrow, and walked into her new bathroom. It was huge! It had a big tub, more like a hot tub, and a long counter with two sinks and a big mirror. The floor and walls were marble, and there was a shower stall at the far wall. Buffy quickly changed and brushed her teeth and hair, and washed her face.

Walking into her new bedroom, she blew out all the lanterns and candles but one, she slipped under the cool sheets and closed her eyes, bracing herself for the screaming and green flash of light. Nothing. Thank God. Turning over, she sighed, trying not to cry. This was not the time. Yet she couldn't help the few tears that escaped eyelids to fall down her face as she drifted off to sleep.

To be continued….

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Thank you for reading. Stay tuned for the next chapter.

DevilsTears


	3. Seeing A Memory

Title: Bound by Loyalty

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Harry Potter- Pretty much books 1-4

Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Seasons 1-5 and some of Season 6

Pairings: Buffy/Sirius Black, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione

Summary: Buffy gets a letter inviting her to help teach at Hogwarts. Dumbledore tells her about the fight with Voldemort, and she agrees to help protect Harry Potter. While there, she learns things about herself that she never knew, and she finds a way to live. Meanwhile, Sirius Black can't stop thinking about the blonde Slayer that has suddenly invaded his life. 

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them. Buffy goes to Whedon, and Harry and everybody in the Potter-verse go to Rowling. If you don't recognize anyone, they're probably mine. I do own the plot, though. Don't sue. Please.

Authors Note: Thank you for reading and thanks to **Catlimere, Sailor C, vampy the chosen one, Dreamer Child, and JC6** for reviewing.

JC6- 'Update soon.' That's all you gotta say? Just be glad I like my reviewers. Your wish is my command….

**********************Chapter Four: Dinner Meetings******************************

'Death is no mystery,

He is well known to thee and me.

He hath no secrets he can keep,

To trouble any good man's sleep.'

-The Book of Counted Sorrows "Hideaway"

Buffy checked her watch for what seemed like the millionth time. 7:30. Ugh! A half an hour to go. Great. She had been up since 9:30 and she was bored. Bored with a capital B. She had eaten breakfast at 10:00, just like Professor McGonagall said. That part was pretty exciting. 

She had been up for about a half an hour when she felt something tugging at her pajama bottoms. Looking down, she had shrieked and jumped on top of her bed, quickly backing away. Then, of course, she had gotten tangled in her sheets and blankets, and she had fallen off the bed with a loud _thump!_ and had lain there groaning, sheets still tangled up in her legs.

The creature she had seen had run over to her, worry showing on its face. Then it spoke.

"Miss Buffy Summers, ma'am. Dobby so sorry. He didn't mean to scare Buffy Summers. Just brought her some breakfast. Did Dobby hurts you, ma'am? He-"

"Um…" Buffy had interrupted quickly, her mind reeling. "Who are you?"

"I am Dobby, Buffy Summers. Dobby the house-elf. Dobby works in the kitchen, bringing you food."

"Okay Dobby. Thanks for the food."

"Buffy Summers say 'thank you' for something this meaningless. Not many people are grateful. Harry Potter is one of them. Harry Potter is kind and generous. Harry Potter will like you."

"Well Dobby, I hope he does." Buffy replied, smiling.

"Dobby better get back to the kitchen. Dobby bring you lunch. Farewell, Buffy Summers!" With a wave, Dobby walked out of her room.

"Bye, Dobby." Buffy had sighed and started on her breakfast.

Sure enough, Dobby had reappeared with her lunch at 2:00. Buffy's reaction had been a lot better this time. Dobby left the room smiling and with tears of joys in his eyes, muttering about gratitude and Harry Potter wanting to be friends with her.

Buffy checked her watch for the millionth and one time. 7:45. Thank god. Time to get ready. Looking through the suitcase she had yet to unpack, she located some jeans and a shirt. Noticing the holes in the jeans knees, she sighed. 'Oh, well. Who cares what people say about me. I mean, it's not like I'm here to make friends, just to keep people safe,' she thought. She quickly put them on and grabbed her shirt. It was a light blue tank top to match the blue jeans. The hem stopped an inch above the top of her jeans. Stepping into her flip-flops, she checked her watch again. 7 minutes to go. Brushing her hair and putting on some lip gloss, she left her room and the office beyond.

The angel statue closed behind her as she looked left and right, trying to figure out which way to go. Settling on left, she walked toward a stair case and went down. Almost twenty minutes later, Buffy realized she was hopelessly lost. Sighing, she retraced her steps, which took her 10 minutes, and found herself in front of the angel statue again. Choosing the right now, she went down the staircase she saw five minutes later. Now she was in front of the great big doors. Taking a deep breath, she looked at her watch again. 8:28. She put her hands forward and grabbed the great door knobs.

*************(3 minutes earlier: 8:25 p.m.)**************

The great hall was noisy, as usual, while students caught up with each other, and the new batch of first years got acquainted with the other students. Albus Dumbledore shot a worried look at Minerva McGonagall. Miss Buffy Summers had yet to appear in the Great Hall. It was now 8:25 and still no Buffy Summers. He hoped she didn't get lost or anything. Dumbledore looked over at Sirius Black, who was staring at him intently, suspicion in his eyes. Professor Dumbledore smiled and his eyes twinkled. This was going to be good. 

*************(28 minutes earlier: 8:00 p.m.)**************

Sirius Black smiled warmly at his godson, Harry Potter, as he walked through the great doors of the Great Hall with the rest of his fellow students. Harry smiled back as he sat with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his best friends and fellow 5th years. Harry looked quizzically at Dumbledore, and Sirius shrugged. He had no idea what the surprise was, he hadn't heard anything yet.

It was 8:10 and Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall were looking nervous. Sirius was suspicious. He wondered what the surprise would be, and if it would be pleasant. He hoped so. Looking at Dumbledore suspiciously, his suspicion only grew when Dumbledore smiled and his eyes twinkled, but he still looked worried. 'Over what?' Sirius wondered. He looked down at his plate, wondering when the food would show up. He glanced at the clock again. 8:26. 

Dumbledore stood up and clapped his hands. Everyone quieted immediately and looked at him expectantly. "I am going to have to postpone the announcements for later, due to an inconvenience. So, eat up." 

The students cheered and dug into their food that had suddenly appeared on the table. Dumbledore sat down and glanced toward the door again. Sirius looked at the clock. 8:28.

Suddenly, the doors to the Great Hall opened. Everyone went quiet and looked over and gasped. Dumbledore stood again and grinned. Sirius Black, Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, Godfather of Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, looked at the door and felt his jaw drop.

'Oh, yeah. Definitely a pleasant surprise.' He smiled.

***************(8:29 p.m.)*****************

Buffy could feel the eyes on her. She also heard the gasps and saw the hundreds of eyes of the students, and at least 9 professors. She was tired, hungry, bored, and really, really pissed off. She had just spent about 40 minutes finding this dumb Great Hall, only to have people stare at her like she was a freak. Well, screw them.

Tucking her hair behind her ears, she walked towards a standing, grinning, Dumbledore. She scowled at him and felt a piercing gaze on her face. Looking at the professors, she located him. 'Wow,' was all she thought. Beautiful dark green eyes stared back at her. He had longish black hair, kind of messy, but looked wonderful on him. His nose was strong, as was his chin. Mmm… he had a wonderful mouth, a mouth that looked like he smiled a lot, but it was also a mouth that could do some serious frowning. And kissing.

Buffy was pulled back to his eyes. They were familiar. Then she realized they held the same look hers did. This man, whoever he was, had seen and been through a lot. The eyes were old, even though his face looked 30.

"Well, Buffy. So glad you can make it." Dumbledore said, eyes still twinkling.

Smiled charmingly, she said to him, "I'm glad to _finally_ be here."

"Did you get lost?" he asked, teasingly.

"No! I did _not_ get lost… I just… didn't know where I was. Yeah, I didn't know where I was."

Buffy answered defensively. 

"Ah. Well, at least you're here, right?"

"Right, I guess." Buffy replied.

"Why don't you sit down and I'll introduce you." He indicated a sear next to the cute man, in between him and McGonagall, who was next to Dumbledore. She shrugged and jumped up onto the platform that held the Professors table. A few students gasped because she didn't use the stars, but she ignored it. Smiling at the cute man, she sat down and looked at Dumbledore.

Professor Dumbledore looked at the students and teachers alike. He cleared his throat and began, "Everybody, I would like you to meet Elizabeth Summers, from America. She is going to be helping Professor Black in his Defense Against the Dark Arts class, so each of you needs to be on you needs to properly address her as Professor Summers. She will also be going from class to class at times, so I want you to be on your best behavior." His eyes traveled to two twin redheads, who stared back innocently. "That is all. Thank you. You may resume eating."

"Let me make one thing clear." Buffy said, smiling dangerously. "My name is _not_ Elizabeth. It's Buffy. Buh-ffy. And don't call me Professor Summers. It makes me sound old," she directed that to a still smiling Dumbledore. "Call me Buffy, or Professor Buffy, if you're just too stuffy and British." She sat down and stared at everyone who stared at her. They quickly looked away and started eating again.

Turning to the cutie beside her, she stuck out her hand and said, "Buffy Summers."

He smiled and took her hand. "Sirius Black."

"Ah, the DADA Professor I'll be helping. Dumbledore told me about you. Except he forgot to mention you're so darn cute. Hello Professor McGonagall. How are you?"

As she and Professor McGonagall talked, Sirius sat dumbfounded. 'How very blunt,' he thought. Looking at Albus, he saw him shaking his head and quietly laughing. He sighed and looked back at his godson and friends. Harry was staring at the American girl So was practically everyone else, but the way Harry was looking at her was different. He wondered what that was about. 

Buffy felt eyes on her again, except these were different. Tuning out Dumbledore's and McGonagall's conversation, she looked around the room and found him. She looked into his eyes and was immediately transported to another time and place.

__

She was outside and looking at the house from her dreams. Then she was inside and looking at a mess. A young woman, even younger that herself, was holding a baby to her chest and was crying. A few feet away, a man lay on the ground. He looked dead. The mother was screaming and looking at Buffy. 'No,' _she corrected herself,_ 'behind me.'_ Turning around, she saw a robed figure with a stick thing in his hand. As he raised it, the mother shouted, _"No! No! Please, not Harry… Anything but Harry! No!"

"Avada kedavra,"_ the figure hissed._

"No!" _Buffy screamed as green light filled the room._

*****************(3 minutes earlier)*****************

Harry stared at Buffy Summers. There was something…off… about her. Suddenly she turned around and looked at him. When their eyes met, he was gone. Immediately, he found himself somewhere else.

__

He was on a high tower with the sun just coming up. Looking around, he saw the new Professor talking to a girl about his age. She had long, dark brown hair and she was crying. Her outfit was a strange dress and her stomach was bleeding. He got closer just in time to see Professor Summers turn around and start running, and to hear the girl screaming, "No! Buffy…please! No!" _Professor Summers jumped off the tower into a swirling mass of white and blue light. Harry felt compelled to scream, _"No!" _as he was suddenly blinded by white light._

*****************(4 minutes earlier)******************

Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were thinking the same thing. Something weird was going on. Harry was staring at Buffy Summers intently. They were wondering what to do when Harry seemed to go into a trance.

"Harry?" Ron asked. No reply. "Harry!" he said louder. Still no reply. He stood up and shook Harry by the shoulders. "HARRY!" he yelled. Everybody started talking at once as Harry's god father, Professor Black, jumped off the Professor's platform and ran to his godson. Professor Dumbledore also got up and ran to Professor Summers, who seemed to be in the same trance, and started calling her name. Professor Black did the same thing with Harry. Then everyone went silent as both Harry and Professor Summers screamed "No!" at the same time, and collapsed on the ground.

To be continued….

***********************************

Thanks again to those who took the time to review. Wait for more chapters.

Devils Tears


	4. Understanding and a Fascination

Title: Bound by Loyalty

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Harry Potter- Pretty much books 1-4

Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Seasons 1-5 and some of Season 6

Pairings: Buffy/Sirius Black, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione

Summary: Buffy gets a letter inviting her to help teach at Hogwarts. Dumbledore tells her about the fight with Voldemort, and she agrees to help protect Harry Potter. While there, she learns things about herself that she never knew, and she finds a way to live. Meanwhile, Sirius Black can't stop thinking about the blonde Slayer that has suddenly invaded his life.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them. Buffy goes to Whedon, and Harry and everybody in the Potter-verse go to Rowling. If you don't recognize anyone, they're probably mine. I do own the plot, though. Don't sue. Please.

Author's Note: Thanks to** Dreamer Child, CharmedChick, Ivy Tearen, Sabia, vampy the chosen one, Ella, kitty minky, Catlimere, Renna, Stix89, clcountry , and bee3** for reviewing!!

Dreamer Child: when I wrote that part about Buffy and Sirius, I was thinking that too. But, I think Buffy has realized that you can't beat around the bush. As for Faith? She'd be like "You're so hot, I could eat you right up." I'm glad that's not what Buffy's like.

Sabia: I don't believe Buffy would have killed herself if she didn't have Spike. She had to live for her sister, and she knew that. Hopefully, coming to Hogwarts will help her live.

Vampy the chosen one: I don't mind that you just like to review, and not critique. Thanks for the kind words!!

Renna: what's up with Harry and Buffy? You'll have to find out….

Clcountry: Thank you for being such a sweetie. You're now one of my favorite reviewers!!! 

*****************************Chapter Five: Conversations**************************

'Lay beside me

Under wicked sky

The black of day

Dark of night.'

-Metallica "The Unforgiving 2"

When Buffy woke up she was on a floating stretcher. Looking around, she saw the student whose head she had entered in a similar position. Sirius Black was walking next to him, casting anxious glances at his prone, unmoving form. The redhead and brunette who were sitting next to the student were doing the same thing. Professor's Dumbledore and McGonagall were also there. As were all the other professors Buffy had seen in the Great Hall.

Groaning, she felt the throbbing pain in her head and suddenly started wishing for aspirin. Her groan attracted the attention of all that silently walked with them. As they crowded around her, (sans Sirius and the two students), she asked, "Where are we going?"

"To the medi-wing," the Headmaster answered. Seeing her expression, he explained. "It's like a hospital."

Alarmed, Buffy rolled out of the stretcher and everyone stared. "No! No hospitals. I'm fine. Perfectly fine. See, no cuts, bruises, or broken bones. I feel great! Just… fine and dandy. Really. So, we don't need a hospital or doctor because I'm fine. 10 toes and 10 fingers. Two arms, two legs, a head, a nose, mouth, two eyes, two ears, and hair. All body parts are intact. No hospital. Please?" She hastily pleaded.

"Miss Summers, you need to go to the medical wing so Poppy can check you out. Now, come on." Professor Dumbledore said sternly.

"No. I am not going to a hospital. You'll have to make me." Buffy said firmly. She stubbornly held her chin up and folder her arms across her chest. Sighing, Dumbledore nodded his head at Severus Snape, who walked forward and grabbed the small woman by the arms.

"Hey! What are you doing? Put me down! Now! Hey, come one. Don't you dare! No! Put me down this instant! What do you think you're doing? Dumbledore, call him off! Now! Don't make me do something drastic!" Buffy threatened as she was suddenly scooped up by a man bigger than Angel himself. He had shoulder length, greasy black hair and he looked slightly sinister.

"I'm sorry Miss Summers, but this necessary. We know you're fine, but just in case, we need you to be looked at."

"I hate you," was all she said as she glared at Dumbledore and the man who carried her.

Chuckling, Dumbledore said, "You'll get over it, I'm sure."

The paused at a door and walked in.

****************(Ten minutes earlier)*******************

Madame Pomfrey hummed while she straightened up the medical wing for the new school year. This year was sure to be a hectic one, what with You-Know-Who back again and Harry Potter and his two friends, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, still in school.

Poppy prided her job as Hogwarts nurse. Her specialty was potions. And she had a feeling she would be needing a lot this year. Still humming, she turned around when she heard the door creak open. Stopping mid-chorus, she said a startled "Oh, dear!"

"Yeah, you British people sure are fond of saying 'oh dear!' aren't ya?

************

"So, now that Poppy has declared you well, why don't we get down to business?" Dumbledore asked. Buffy sighed, shifting on the bed she was currently confined to.

When they had gotten looked over, Madame Pomfrey had diagnosed them to be healthy, except for the bumps on their heads, and told her and the student, Harry Potter she now knew, to lay down and rest. Buffy had protested. Loudly. She was still mad about being carried by mean looking guy. But she was talked into it, and that was only because they had promised her chocolate. And she still hadn't gotten it.

"First things first. Can I have my chocolate now? Please?" She asked. When a good sized chunk was given to her, Buffy motioned for Dumbledore to begin.

"Let me make introductions first. Miss Summers, this is Severus Snape," he pointed at mean looking guy, "Professor of Potions. Professor Sprout, Professor of Herbology," a woman with clumps of dirt in her hair, "Filius Flitwick, Professor of Charms," a teeny-tiny man with wiry hair, "And you've met Professor's McGonagall and Black. This is Professor Vector of Arithmancy and Professor Sinistra, he teaches Astronomy. That is Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger. They are in their fifth year. Now, would you two mind explaining about what happened earlier."

Harry and Buffy looked at each other. Finally, Buffy said, "I looked into his past, I think."

"What did you see?" Harry asked curiously, but also dreading the answer.

"A house. Then I was in the house. I… saw a man on the ground. He looked… dead. Then I saw a woman younger than me. About 20 years old. She had a baby and was crying. I turned around and saw this… person in a black robe, holding this stick thing. The woman started screaming, "No! Not Harry! No… not Harry!" Then the robed guy did some hocus-pocus, and then there was green light and I woke up."

"Harry?" Dumbledore asked a shaken Harry. 

"Yes, sir?" Harry answered, staring at Buffy.

"What did you see?"

"I… I saw a tower. The sun was rising and I turned around. Professor Summers was there with a girl my age. She had dark brown hair." At this, Professor Summers had gone really pale and her eyes had filled up with tears. Harry watched her while he talked. "They were both crying. The… the girl was bleeding and Professor Summers was telling her something. Then Professor Summers turned around and ran to the edge of the tower and jumped into a swirling mass of white and blue sparks. The girl… she was screaming, "Buffy! Please… no!" There was a white light, and then I woke up here… What is going on?" That last part was directed at Professor Summers.

Buffy could feel the tears running down her face. They felt foreign because she hadn't cried in years. She lifted her hand to her face and it came back wet. She stared at it in astonishment. Curling a hand into a fist, she looked up. It had been so long since she'd spoken about what happened out loud.

Sirius was confused. What he had heard from both Harry and Miss Summers was unbelievable. How had this American girl seen what had happened 14 years ago? And what was Harry talking about? Miss Summers jumping off a tower into white and blue sparks? He watched as she touched her tear-stained face and stared at her hand in astonishment, like crying was all too new to her. What was going on here?

"This is all very complicated, and I am sorry to say that I can tell you no more. At least not now. Miss Summers is here for a reason, and that is all you can know. For now. So, why doesn't everybody just head off to your dorms and rooms? Oh, and Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger, could you please keep this to yourselves?" They nodded. "Good. And good night. We will see you in the morning."

"Good night, Professors." They said in unison. When the room had cleared of all but Buffy, Sirius, and Dumbledore, he spoke again. "Sirius, would you mind showing Miss Summers to her room? It's behind the Stone Angel."

"Sure Albus. Good night."

"Good night, Sirius. Good night Miss Summers." He winked and walked out of the room. 

"Good night, Double Door." Buffy said. She didn't even protest as Sirius helped her off the bed and steered her out of the room. She really didn't feel like getting lost again. She sighed softly.

"Well, lead on kind sir," Buffy said, motioning helplessly.

Sirius didn't say anything. Instead, he just walked towards the stairs, Miss Summers trailing behind him. Inside, he was thinking 'Double Door? Okay.'

The walk to the Stone Angel was silent. Finally they got there. Miss Summers turned to Sirius with a small grin on her face, eyes twinkling with mischief, and he felt his breath catch in his throat. She looked stunning.

Buffy didn't notice a change is Sirius. Instead, she turned back to the statue and said, "Chocolate Kisses." The Stone Angel swung open silently. Buffy turned to Sirius again. Nothing was said for a minute.

Then, "Chocolate Kisses?" Sirius asked, smiling slightly.

"Yeah. Chocolate is yummy, and kisses are yummier. Therefore, Chocolate Kisses. Double your yum, double your fun." Miss Summers explained.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Buffy smiled. Cute and funny! Wow! Sirius stopped breathing altogether. She looked even more beautiful, if that was possible, when she smiled like that. "Well," that came out a little too high-pitched. Clearing his throat, he began again. "Well, I will see you tomorrow in class, which begins at 10:30. Good night."

"Good night, Sirius."

The stood there staring at each other, slowly leaning closer. Then, abruptly, they both turned around. Buffy hurried into her room, the statue closing behind her, as Sirius practically ran to his room. When he got to his room, he said, "Slayer" to the painting, proceeding to go in when it opened. 

Sirius had always had a fascination with Vampire Slayers, ever since he had read the ancient tome _Vampyr _in his third year. It was fascinating how this young girl, all by herself, fought vampires and demons. It was extraordinary how she had the strength, speed, and ability to save the world. And utterly sad that none of them lived past the age of 21.

*****************************

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!!

DevilsTears


	5. Interlude: Dreams of the Insane

Title: Bound by Loyalty

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Harry Potter- Pretty much books 1-4

Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Seasons 1-5 and some of Season 6

Pairings: Buffy/Sirius Black, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione

Summary: Buffy gets a letter inviting her to help teach at Hogwarts. Dumbledore tells her about the fight with Voldemort, and she agrees to help protect Harry Potter. While there, she learns things about herself that she never knew, and she finds a way to live. Meanwhile, Sirius Black can't stop thinking about the blonde Slayer that has suddenly invaded his life.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them. Buffy goes to Whedon, and Harry and everybody in the Potter-verse go to Rowling. If you don't recognize anyone, they're probably mine. I do own the plot, though. Don't sue. Please.

Author's Note: Thanks to **Tanydwr, JC6, Hinomi, Sabia, clcountry, LizaGirl, dsaf, immortalwizardelf-fan, vampy the chosen one, Renna, WaterNaiad13, Stix89, and even Raven for reviewing.**

Tanydwr- Well, Lily and James graduated at around 17, and I'm thinking they died at 19, making Harry 1. 14 years later, and Sirius is 33. Buffy is 25. I'm not sure the SG will show up. Maybe for a few chapters, but this is mostly a Buffy centered fic. Thanks for reviewing.

JC6- Thanks for the longer review.

Sabia- I have a little problem with apostrophes. I hate them, they hate me.

Clcountry- I might have the SG for a few chapters, but they don't exactly fit in this story.

Renna- Buffy didn't want to hurt Snape, because despite what people say about him, he _is_ human. And she was still a bit woozy.

And this is for Raven: first of all, Buffy MUST go because of her dream. Did you read the beginning? She had a dream of people dying. And I did say that she also wanted to go because she wanted to help the wizarding world. Who cares if Sirius has dark brown eyes? In my story, they're green. I know 17 is graduated, not 19. When did I say that? And they weren't killed at 20/21. In my story, they were married at 18, and they had Harry. He was one when they died, making them 19. And in _my_ story, Voldemort is after Giles' time.

Yes, two hours from Ca. to Scotland. How? Because I said so, that's how. So I made a slight mistake saying that Hagrid had class the next day. Everyone makes mistakes. How did Buffy get lost? Well, maybe Dumbledore thought she'd be able to make it to the Great Hall by herself. I don't know. Use your imagination. She didn't explore because Dumbledore asked her to stay in her room. If she would have left, someone would have most likely saw her. Buffy's watch worked because I said it did. 

Buffy was a little distracted when Snape picked her up. She didn't struggle because she didn't want to hurt him, and maybe she was dizzy. I'll "get to the good stuff" if I want to. I appreciate your reviewing and all that, but I don't appreciate the way you nit-pick every single detail of my story. It's okay if you catch me on the major mistakes, but honestly, is anyone else out there calculating Giles' age to when Voldemort was around? Is anyone else going "Oh no! Sirius' eyes are brown, not green! The world's going to end!"? I can answer that: No. There is a reason why this is called 'fanfiction' you know. The fans make up the fiction. There are stories out there with horrible grammar and way bigger mistakes. Why my story? I'm sorry if this offends you, but if you decide not to read this anymore, I won't cry at the loss of one reader. 

This is _my_ story. I make up the rules. If I say something happened in my story, then it happened! Sorry, but that's the way it goes.

Anyway, now that I'm done being bitchy, on with the story…

************************Interlude: Dreams of the Insane****************************

'You found hope, you found faith

Found how fast she can take it away.

Found true love, lost your heart,

Now you don't know who you are.'

-Jessica Riddle "Even Angels Fall"

'Pretty forest,' Buffy thought to herself. 'Creepy, but pretty. Where am I?' She asked herself. "Hello? Is anybody out there? Hello?"

"Hello?"

************

"Ok, you're asleep. You're also wide awake in the middle of the forest. You must be dreaming. Yeah, that's it. I'm dreaming. Now I'm talking to myself. Oh, well. No one around to hear. So, where am I?" 

"Hello? Is anybody out there? Hello?" Someone yelled.

"Hello?" Sirius yelled back.

************

"Ooh. Someone's here with me. Wonder who it is. And what in the world am I wearing? It's pretty, but I don't remember going to sleep in a dress."

She was wearing a spaghetti strap, cream dress that flowed to her ankles. It was tight on the bodice, but wavy on the skirt. Oh well, it was a dream. Anything can happen.

"Hello?" She yelled back.

"Over here!" The voice sounded strangely familiar. 

Buffy walked toward the sound of the persons voice. When she got to him, she stopped short in surprise. "Sirius?"

"Miss Summers?"

Sirius was beyond confused. Here her was, in a… forest that he had never seen before, standing by Buffy Summers, who was wearing a dress and looking very beautiful. And she was staring at him oddly. No, she wasn't staring at _him_. Not exactly. She was staring at his clothes. Sirius looked down and groaned. He was wearing a tux. Why?

Buffy knew she was staring. And she didn't care. Man, was this guy yummy in a tux or not? Buffy looked up when her groaned and smirked. "Hey, do you think I like this choice of wardrobe?" She asked, glaring at the offending dress. 

'No, but I like it on you,' he wanted to say, but kept his mouth shut.

Suddenly, everything went dark, and they weren't in the same place anymore. It grew fuzzy and cold. 'Oh no,' Buffy thought. 'Not the dream, please not the dream.' She backed away and slammed into someone. Yelping, she jumped back, tripping over something on the ground and landing on her back.

Sirius grunted after someone ran into him. Where was he? And where was Miss Summers? 

Someone nearby yelped, and he realized it was her. "Miss Summers? Where are you?" He called.

"Down here," he heard. He got to his knees and felt around until he and Miss Summers bumped their heads together.

"Ow!" She moaned. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. What about you?"

"Peachy with a side of keen. I tripped over something, and me'sa thinking it's a body. But, hey! I'm not wearing a dress anymore!"

"Me neither. I mean… I'm not wearing a tux." He corrected himself quickly. He heard her sigh as something brushed against his leg. He rolled away and gasped. "What was that?"

"What was what?" She asked.

"Something touched my leg." He replied.

"Oh." Buffy decided that she wouldn't mention all the other bodies. Some were still alive. 'At least the screams haven't-' she was thinking before she got cut off by a terrified scream.

Sirius gasped. "What was that?" He yelled.

"Just the beginning," Buffy quietly replied. She heard him stand up.

"We have to go help." 

"We can't. We'll never make it in time. I never do. You can run as fast as you can and you'll never make it in time. Watch." They waited a few seconds, then there was a bright flash of green light and they weren't there anymore.

**************

Sirius felt a draft and he looked around. They were back at Hogwarts, in the Great Hall. He looked at Miss Summers and his eyes went wide. She was wearing boxers with some kind of animal on them, and they said 'SpongeBob SquarePants' on them. Whatever that meant. Her tank top matched. Why was she wearing that?

Buffy felt Sirius' eyes on her, so she looked at herself and moaned pitifully. She was wearing her pajamas! Oh god. She looked at Sirius and almost laughed out loud. At least she was wearing a shirt! All Sirius was wearing was black boxers.

Sirius heard Miss Summers stifle a laugh, and with a sinking feeling, he looked down at his own clothes. Or lack there of. Oh, god. Why, oh why, did he have to wear his boxers that night?

"Umm…" was all he said.

"Well, I guess we're really back at the castle and not dreaming anymore. We probably sleepwalked here." Miss Summers told him.

"Umm… Well, we'll talk about this in the morning. Right now, I'm going to go to bed. Good night." Sirius hastily replied, flushing as he quickly backed away.

Buffy smiled after him as he practically ran to his room. He looked so adorable when he blushed! Buffy looked around warily. Which way to her room? She sighed. It was gonna be a long night.

******************************************************************************

Sorry this is so short. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!!

DevilsTears


	6. Feelings of Others

Title: Bound by Loyalty

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Harry Potter- Pretty much books 1-4.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Seasons 1-5 and some of season 6.

Pairings: Buffy/Sirius Black, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione

Summary: Buffy gets a letter inviting her to help teach at Hogwarts. Dumbledore tells her about the fight with Voldemort, and she agrees to help protect Harry Potter. While there, she learns things about herself that she never knew, and she finds a way to live. Meanwhile, Sirius Black can't stop thinking about the blonde Slayer that has suddenly invaded his life.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them. Buffy goes to Whedon, and Harry and everybody in the Potter-verse go to Rowling. If you don't recognize anyone, they're probably mine. I do own the plot, though. Don't sue. Please.

Authors Note: Thank you to **Erro, CharmedChick, Sabia, Renna, and Evie **for reviewing.

CharmedChick: Thanks for your support.

Sabia: LOL. In 'Understanding and a Fascination' Snape picked Buffy up when she refused to go to the Medi-Wing.

Renna- The dream _is_ important. You'll have to keep reading to find out how! It won't be for a while, though.

Evie: Thanks. I was kind of in a bitchy mood, and Raven didn't help.

Thanks to those who took the time to review. It was greatly appreciated. Hint, hint.

On with the story….

Chapter Six: Lateness and Feelings

'My life now, looks

Like a shadowA gray substitute forThe future I'd pictured.'

-Sue Q "My World- Cracked"

"Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap. I'm gonna be late. And on my first day! What a good impression to make on the students. First, I wake up late and miss breakfast, and now I can't find anything to wear. Um, skirt. Blue. No, red. No, green. No, no, no! Pink! Yeah, my light pink skirt to go with my white v-neck shirt. And my white flip-flops. Get dressed, get dressed, get dressed. There, I'm dressed! Hair. Oh, god. What about my hair? Something fast. A ponytail! There. Now, pink lip gloss and eye shadow. Great!" Buffy sighed.

That morning, she had woken up at 10:08. She had quickly jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom, chanting "crap, crap, crap" the whole time she was in there. She missed breakfast, which was over an hour and 45 minutes ago, and she was hungry. Then she couldn't find anything to wear.

Buffy ran out of her room and down the nearest stairs. At the bottom, she stopped and groaned. Repeating her 'crap' mantra, she looked left and right. Confused, she went to the left. Going down two hall ways, she went to the right and came upon a painting.

Feeling slightly silly for talking to a painting, she politely got the attention of the young man reading a book in a library. "Excuse me? Could you tell me the way to Professor Blacks room, please?"

"Why, sure. You go down that hallway to the right, then hang a left. Two halls after that, go left again. Then go right two times. It's the second door on the left." He replied, smiling.

"Thank you," Buffy hurriedly said, glancing at her watch. 10:28. No wonder no students were out and about. Class was about to start. Following the paintings directions, she took off running. 5 minutes later, she arrived exactly where she started. Rounding on the painting, she looked at in disbelief. "You lied. I'm where I started," she practically growled.

"Precisely!" He beamed.

"Why you little-" She was about to grab the painting and tear it to pieces when it spoke again.

"Professor Black's room," he paused while Buffy tapped her foot impatiently, "is the second door on the left, just like I said." He pointed to the door he was talking about.

"If you're lying to me, I'll rip you to pieces and burn you in the nice fireplace that is in my room," Buffy threatened menacingly, not really meaning it, but hoping to scare the guy. The painting gulped and nodded meekly.

Turning to the left, she went to the second door, then held out a hand to the knob. 'Here goes nothing' she thought .

Earlier that morning (8:30)

Sirius entered the Great Hall and immediately spotted his godson with his friends at the Gryffindor table. He smiled at them, and Harry smiled back. Sirius made his way to the teachers table. That's when he noticed that Miss Summers wasn't there yet. He sighed in disappointment.

'Maybe she's just late,' he thought, cheering up.

Same time (Gryffindor table)

Harry smiled back at Sirius and watched as he sat at the teachers table. He turned his attention back to his two best friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.

Finally deciding to ask the question that had been plaguing him ever since he had entered the Great Hall that morning, he said "Where do you suppose Professor Summers is?"

"I don't know. I would have thought she would be here by now," Hermione replied. Strangely, Ron didn't say anything. The two friends looked at him and shook their heads in amusement. Ron's head was on his plate of pancakes and syrup, his fork and knife still in his hands.

Hermione and Harry both felt like they could do the exact same thing. They had been up all night in their Common room, discussing the new Assistant for the DADA class. They had asked Harry to explain in detail what he saw in Buffy Summers head.

Hermione thought it was tragic, and Ron just had more questions. The one most prominent: Who, _exactly_, was Buffy Summers? They had eventually gone to bed at a quarter past two, and woke up five hours later. They were beat.

Harry sighed. It was going to be a long day. At least he had DADA first. Then he groaned when her remembered who he shared that class with. Slytherins! He glanced over at Draco Malfoy with a grimace. Oh, great! It was definitely going to be a long day.

Same time (Slytherin table)

Draco Malfoy looked around the Great Hall as he sat between his two goons, Crabbe and Goyle. He saw Saint Harry Potter and his two friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. He looked at the High Table and saw that all the Professors were present. Except Buffy Summers, Draco noticed interestingly.

Last night, when Draco had seen Professor summers, he felt… something. He couldn't explain it. All he knew was that the feeling was big. Like his life was never going to be the same. And he liked that feeling. He was okay with it.

"It's about time something bloody good happened around here," Draco muttered to himself.

"What?" Millicent Bulstrode, who was sitting across from him, asked.

"Nothing," he replied giving her one of his trade-mark smirks. She smiled back and continued eating her breakfast.

(10:35: DADA room)

Sirius glanced at the door one again. Miss Summers was currently five minutes late. His class of Gryffindor and Slytherin were still settling in, and talking to their neighbors. Sirius had told them to sit wherever they wanted for the first day, so he could get a seating chart made out.

He opened his mouth to begin class when the door swung open. Everyone stopped talking and looked at the door. Miss Summers walked in. Sirius felt his jaw drop. She looked…frazzled.

"Um… Sorry I'm late?" She said, only to be met with silence.

(10:30: DADA room)

Class had just officially begun. Everyone was present. Except for the Assistant Professor. Where she was, no one knew. Harry looked at Sirius quizzically. He shrugged.

"All right, everybody. Sit down wherever you like for today. I don't have the seating arrangement yet, so this should do. Go on. Sit down and get settled in." Sirius told them.

Harry sat down next to Ron, while Hermione sat in front of them, next to Neville Longbottom.

"Where do you think Professor Summers is?" Hermione asked over her shoulder.

"I don't know. Maybe she won't show up." Ron answered.

"Maybe she's talking to the Headmaster." Neville offered. Nobody replied. Five minutes after class started, the door opened. In walked Professor Buffy Summers, looking angry and frustrated. Everyone stopped talking and stared.

"Um… Sorry I'm late?" She said, only to be met with silence.

Sirius finally got his vocal chords working. "That's okay Miss Summers. It is your first day here. Class only started about 6 minutes ago, so we haven't really go to anything. Why don't you come in and sit down, then we'll begin?" He said.

"Sure thing," Buffy replied, glancing around the room. Seeing no empty desk, and not wanting to intrude, she opted to sit_ on_ the desk. Walking over to it, she hopped up on it, swinging her legs back and forth. She looked at the class and Sirius, who were looking at her. They quickly looked away.

Except for one kid. Buffy's forehead scrunched up in confusion. He looked familiar. Where had she seen him from? Who did he remind her of? Spike! Even though the only thing they physically had in common was the bleach blonde hair and smirk, which was now plastered on the boys face. But he also reminded Buffy of Spike because of the look in his eyes. The tortured soul look. And because of that smirk, he looked like a jack-ass.

But Buffy knew appearances could be deceiving, especially since she could see the hidden intelligence in his eyes, which she doubted anyone else could see, except Albert Bumblebore, and his smirk, while usually intimidating to teachers and students alike, looked somehow… fake.

Buffy had a feeling she was going to like him.

Draco smirked at Professor Summers when she got a slightly confused expression on her face when she saw him. He had no clue why she was so taken back when they looked at each other, nor did he know why she got a glimmer of recognition in her eyes and a smile on her lips. He didn't mind, though. Draco Malfoy kind of liked the feeling of not knowing. Which was very unusual, because he liked to pride himself on knowing everything that was happening at Hogwarts. Oh, well.

The first day of classes was over. The hour for each class period was spent making sure that students had the right books and supplies, and explaining what they would cover in the first chapter. Buffy was thankful that each DADA class was shared by two houses, and that she only had years 5-7 on the first day, and 1-4 on the second day. On the first day, it was the 5th years first, with Gryffindor and Slytherin for an hour, then Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw for an hour.

After that was lunch break, with Buffy eating in the privacy of her room, food courtesy of Dobby, then the last 4 hours of class with the sixth and seventh years, ending shortly after 5:00. That gave the students and teachers three hours of free time before dinner, which ends at 9:00, and then lights our at 11:00. All in all, not too bad of a schedule. That gave Buffy two hours to train and exercise, an hour to meditate, eat, then after dinner she had a meeting with the teachers and the Headmaster so she could get briefed about this bad guy, Holdy Cork, or something like that. She had never been real good with names.

At 7:15, Buffy decided to get to dinner early, so she wouldn't be late or get lost again. So, skipping the meditation, she got out of her room and took a right. This time, she was able to get to the stair case in about 3 minutes. She got to the Great Hall doors at 7:19. They were wide open and Buffy could see a few students were already there, as were some teachers. 'Sirius isn't,' she noted, slightly disappointed. Quickly shaking it off, she noticed Hagrid. Walking towards the teachers table (she took the stairs this time), she sat next to him and he smiled.

"Hey, Hagrid," she said.

" 'ello Buffy. How are ye?" He asked, smiling down at the little blonde.

"Just peachy," she answered cheerfully. "Where were you last night? I missed ya."

"I was at me hut, feedin' Fang. I 'eard there was a bit o' trouble las' nigh'. Somethin' about you and Harry goin' ter the Medi-Wing."

Buffy shuddered, remembering the hospital room very well. All that cleanliness and white, not to mention she was afraid of hospitals. "Oh, it was nothing. Just your average Buffy fun. Elvis will explain everything tonight, at the meeting."

"Elvis?" Hagrid asked, confused at her words.

"Dumbledore," she explained, motioning towards the grandfatherly looking man.

"Oh."

(Later that evening: 7:50)

Sirius arrived ten minutes until 8:00. He looked around expectedly, glad when he saw Miss Summers talking to the big giant, Hagrid. He made a detour to the Professors table, and stopped to talk to Harry. Putting a hand on his godsons shoulder, he smiled at him in concern.

"How are you feeling, Harry?" He asked.

"I'm fine, Sirius. A little tired, but fine." Harry answered, glancing at him.

"Okay, if you're sure," Sirius leaned closer. "You, Ron, and Hermione meet me here at 11:30, okay?" He whispered. Harry nodded.

Sirius smiled at the Gryffindor table and went to the Professors table. Spying an empty seat next to Miss Summers, he casually walked up to it and sat down.

Buffy heard someone settle down into the seat next to her and looked over. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw who it was. He smiled softly at her, and Buffy almost melted into a gooey mess of Slayer. Wow!

"Hello, Miss Summers," Sirius said to her.

"Buffy," she replied distractedly, still thinking about the gooey her.

"Pardon?"

"Call me Buffy."

"Buffy," he tested it out. He liked the sound of her name, unusual or not.

Buffy liked the way her said it. She just stared at him, and he at her. Buffy loved his eyes, the dark green with the halo of lighter green around the dark. They were gorgeous, and looked great with his hair, which looked kind of like Xander's in High School, except messier and more… sophisticated. Sexier. Wow.

Sirius pulled his eyes away from Miss Sum- Buffy's as Minerva included him in the conversation between her and Albus. His attention wasn't entirely on the topic of choice, though. He kept having to resist the temptation of turning back to Buffy and carrying on a discussion with her, or just to look at her would have been great. There was just something about her that tugged at his senses, and made his heart beat faster just thinking about her. Sirius knew it was crazy, he didn't know anything about her! But he didn't care. All he wanted to do was hold her, comfort her, and kiss away the pain he saw lurking in her eyes. It was insane, he knew, but he wanted to learn every thing there was to know about Buffy Summers.

It was 8:30, and Buffy scanned the Great Hall when Hagrid got distracted by the tiny Professor Flitwick, who had asked him what he was teaching in Care of Magical Creatures this year. She spotted Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger at one table, and when they suddenly looked at her, she smiled crookedly at them, and they quickly looked away. She looked over the other students, and when she spotted him, she stopped. The blonde haired, silver eyed, smirking boy, whose name she learned was Draco Malfoy. Fitting. Buffy could feel something in him, kind of like what she felt in Harry, except better hidden, and what she knew she felt in Sirius Black, except not as better hidden. It was pain and sadness. Buffy could relate to that. Maybe that's why she took an instant liking to all three of them.

Buffy could suddenly feel something else, somewhere in the Great Hall. It was so strong she was swept away in the current of it. Despair and fear and self-loathing consumed her. The feeling was so deep that she had to close her eyes so she wouldn't start crying. She knew that she couldn't live with that feeling, so she reached deep inside herself and used her Slayer powers to keep the other person's feelings at bay. When they were to a minimum, she finally opened her eyes with a gasp, breathing heavily.

She quickly looked around to see if anyone had noticed. None of the students did. But two professors did. One was Dumbledore, who was looking at her with a weird expression on his face, and Sirius, who looked concerned.

"Are you okay?" He asked, facing her.

"Yeah," was all she said. Luckily he knew not to push. Buffy looked to see if any students had jus arrived. She didn't feel it coming from the kids, though. So she looked at the Professors table and saw him. Professor Severus Snape. The feelings were coming from him.

'Oh, great,' she thought. She sighed.

(9:06 P.M.: Staff Room)

It was 9:06, and all of the Professors were in the staff room. Professor Snape was sitting in an armchair next to the roaring fire, Professor McGonagall was sitting in the other armchair close by, Professor Dumbledore was sitting in another armchair at the front of the room, Hagrid was standing next to Buffy, who was sitting on the sofa with Sirius and Professor Flitwick. Madame Hooch, whom Buffy had just met, was sitting across from those three on another sofa, next to Madame Pomfrey and Professor Sprout. Professor Binns, the history teacher (who was also a ghost), had even come to the staff meeting. Professor Vector and Professor Sinistra were sharing a couch next to Madame Hooch, Madam Pomfrey, and Professor Sprout. The only one missing was Trelawny. Buffy heard she was Divinations teacher. She shifted impatiently, anxious to get the meeting started and done with. Dumbledore had asked her if it was alright if she told everyone that she was the Slayer and the real reason she was there. She had agreed, albeit reluctantly.

Albus stood up. Everyone went silent.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!!!

DevilsTears


	7. Condensing a Life Story

Title: Bound by Loyalty

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Harry Potter- Pretty much books 1-4.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Seasons 1-5 and some of season 6.

Pairings: Buffy/Sirius Black, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione

Summary: Buffy gets a letter inviting her to help teach at Hogwarts. Dumbledore tells her about the fight with Voldemort, and she agrees to help protect Harry Potter. While there, she learns things about herself that she never knew, and she finds a way to live. Meanwhile, Sirius Black can't stop thinking about the blonde Slayer that has suddenly invaded his life.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them. Buffy goes to Whedon, and Harry and everybody in the Potter-verse go to Rowling. If you don't recognize anyone, they're probably mine. I do own the plot, though. Don't sue. Please.

Author's Note: Thanks to **kitty minky, La Vito, Renna, Prophetess of Hearts, blondi gurl, hp lotr btvs potc sg1 sw dop wot dw fan, clcountry, Sabia, cancan227, Shady Lane and Ivy Tearen, Jess aka BRTW, and mj **for reviewing.

Prophetess of Hearts- it's all part of Buffy's Slayer power. Not really important, though.

hp lotr btvs potc sg1 sw dop wot dw fan- geez, long name.

Sabia- don't worry, Snape won't be _too_ gooey and sweet.

Ivy Tearen- Buffy can feel Snape's emotions because her Slayer powers have gotten pretty advanced, and Snape's emotions are really clear. Like I said, it's not that important.

Mj- Even if it is unrealistic, it's not impossible. I guess you can call it love at first site or something. Thanks for reviewing.

I am so sorry this is late. But, I should be able to update more, because I'm out of school. Yay!!!

On with the story…

Chapter Seven: Life Stories- Condensed

'My life now, looks

Like a shadowA gray substitute forThe future I'd pictured.'

-Sue Q "My World- Cracked'

Sirius casually glanced at Buffy, surprised to see her nervous and fidgeting. He didn't have time to dwell on that subject though, because Albus started talking.

"Everyone has met Buffy, right?" He began. The teachers all nodded, looking at the small blonde. "Well, as you all know by now, Voldemort has risen again." More serious, they nodded solemnly. "And that is why Buffy is here. Sirius, you are familiar with the legend of the Vampire Slayer, are you not?" Sirius glanced at him in surprise. Why did he want to know about that? Buffy looked at him curiously. "Could you please explain about her?"

"Sure." He said, standing up. "Let's see. 'Into every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.'" Nobody noticed Buffy mouth "yadda, yadda, yadda," at the end. "Basically," Sirius continued, "She's a teenage girl, around 15 or 16, with the powers to defeat vampires and demons."

"What kind of powers?" McGonagall asked.

"Extra speed, super strength, all their senses highly enhanced. The ability to learn how to use any weapon they put their hands on in a matter of hours. Some Slayers can use any weapon without training. They just pick it up and know what to do with it. There's only one Slayer at a time, and it's always been a girl. The longest living Slayer had been 21 years old. There's currently a Slayer at the age of 19, and she lives in Cuba. She's been the Slayer for 3 years, the Slayer before her died at the age of 21, the one before her lasted a year, but the one before her, well, it's weird." He paused in thought.

"What is weird?" That was Snape, who was surprisingly interested in the story.

"I just found out that a few of my acquaintances are in the Watcher's Council. That's the group of people who train to be the Slayer's Watcher. A Watcher is someone who trains and teaches their Slayer. They go to the Slayer's current station, and stay there with them. Anyway, a few years ago, I learned some friends of mine were part of the Council. They told me about the current Slayer that lives in Cuba, the one before her that lived in America, and the one before her that lived in Jamaica but died in America, however, they wouldn't tell me about the one before the Jamaican. All they said was that she was called at 15. They wouldn't tell me her name, where she was stationed, how she died or when she died. Just her age when she was called. My friend had no problem telling me about any other Slayers, but that one girl, she was somehow off limits. Albus, I don't see how this has anything to do with Voldemort." He looked at him expectantly.

"Let me introduce the current Slayer, Buffy Summers." That was met with shocked silence. Buffy waved. Sirius was the first to break the silence.

"You can't be the Slayer! She's 19 and lives in Cuba. You're _not_ Cuban. And you've got to be at least 23 at the most. No Slayer has lived past the age of 22-" Albus held a hand up to silence Sirius. He nodded to Buffy to tell her story.

"Okay, listen up. The Slayer, the _other _Slayer, is in Cuba, and she is 19. I'm 25. I was called at 15. I used to live in Los Angeles, and I went to Hemery High School when I was told I was the Slayer. There was a master vampire in LA named Lothos. He killed my Watcher, Merrick, so I killed him. But, I had to burn down my gym to kill all the vamps. I got expelled, and my mom and I moved to Sunnydale. The Hellmouth. A Hellmouth is a mystical convergence of energy, which pulls evil things to it. I went to Sunnydale High, where I got a new Watcher, Rupert Giles, and made friends. Willow and Xander found out I was the Slayer and they wanted to help me. I wouldn't let them. To make a long story short, the Master, the local big-shot vampire, tried to end the world. I tried to stop him, I died, Xander brought me back, I kicked the Master's ass.

Since I died, a new Slayer was called, so there were two. Kendra was from Jamaica. She came about 5 months after she was called. She went back home, and Angel lost his soul, and became Angelus Scourge of Europe, again. He tried to end the world. Kendra came back to help me, and Angelus… he killed her, put Willow in the hospital, and broke Xander's arm. I killed Angelus. Rammed a sword through his gut and sent him to Hell, via Acathla. I left Sunnydale for awhile because my mom kicked me out of the house. I was only 17. I went to LA for three months and came home. When I was 18, Faith showed up. She was 17 and just called. She was running from Kakistos. We killed him, she stayed. Angel came back with a soul, Faith went evil and joined up with the evil mayor, and she tried to kill Angel. I saved him, put Faith in a coma, and I graduated from High School.

On graduation day the Mayor ascended. He turned into a 60 foot snake, and I blew up the High School to kill him. That was pretty fun. Angel went to LA to save innocents. I was 18, living on the Hellmouth, and going to college. There was this guy named Riley, and he was part of this undercover army group called the Initiative. They captured demons and studied them. Their superior was a psycho-bitch named Maggie Walsh, and she was my Psychology professor. She found out I was the Slayer, and I found out about her. We worked together. They found a way to make sure a vampire couldn't hurt another human. A small chip was put in their brains to shock them whenever they tried to bite or hit anything human. One of their test subjects was Spike, or William the Bloody, as you might know him as." At this the occupants of the room looked shocked. Almost as shocked as when Buffy had said she knew Angelus, and that he had a soul and was saving people.

Sirius was speechless. The Slayer? And she was in front of him, at this very moment. And she was Buffy Summers, quirky American, no less. How had she survived so long? 10 years was forever in Slayer years. And why hadn't his friends at the Council told him about her? It was very confusing… Wait. She died? What?!

"Spike hated being so helpless. More so when we captured him and chained him in Giles' bathroom." She paused, smiling slightly. Buffy continued, "Professor Walsh was building something. It was called A.D.A.M., or project 314. A.D.A.M was part demon, part robot, part human. He was kinda indestructible. Them Willow found a spell. It joined us all together. Willow, me, Giles, and Xander. All in my body. I got more powerful. Magical. Indestructible. I defeated A.D.A.M. The Initiative was lost. That night, we were all at my house, and the first Slayer visited us in our dreams and tried to kill us. And Tara, that's Willow's girlfriend and a witch like Will, was in my dream, speaking for the First Slayer. She said "You think you know. What's to come, what you are. You haven't even begun." And she was right. That's when Dawn came. My sister. Except not. She was a million-something year old ball of energy in a 14-year-old's body that was a month old. She was the key. Except we didn't know she was. I had all these memories of her. Me and her used to play tea part and dolls. I was ten, and she 4 ½ when my parents started fighting.

We were so scared. They would fight so much. I remember we would hide in my closet. Well, here we were, living on the Hellmouth. It was peaceful for awhile. Then Glorificus came. She was a hell-goddess that was trapped in our world. Her only way to get back to her dimension was to use the Key. That's where Dawn came in. If Glory used the Key, then Hell would be on Earth and destroy everything. We were trying to figure out what to do when Glory took Dawn. She had her on this tower, and only Dawn's blood could open up the door to other dimensions. We all went to save her and stop Glory. But it was too late. Dawn was cut, and a portal opened. The only way for the portal to close was for the blood that opened it to stop. Permanently. So I killed Glory and went to Dawn. And I did what I had to. I-" She was cut off by, surprisingly, Snape.

"You killed your sister? How could you do that? She-"

"I didn't kill her!" Buffy interrupted angrily. "I killed myself," she said softly, closing her eyes that were filled with torment. Snape closed his mouth, already regretting his harsh words. "Dawn was made out of me. She had _my_ blood. Summers blood. So I told her I loved her and I jumped. I jumped off the tower into the portal and that's what Harry saw! I died. Again." She sat down, silent tears running down her face as she glared at Snape.

Everyone was silent until McGonagall asked, "Why did you jump?"

"To save my sister. And the world." Buffy stared at her, confused. Hadn't she just explained that?

"But why? You said so yourself. She wasn't real. Your memories were fake. She wasn't your real sister."

"She may not have been there for over two months, but she _was_ my sister. My blood. The memories were fake, but they felt… real. She was there through it all, and that was good enough for me. I loved her, so I saved her. But that wasn't the end of it all. It was just beginning. I was 20 and dead. And I was okay with it. Everything was so… peaceful. But it was ripped away from me by my best friend. Willow took me away from the only peace I had felt since I was 10. She brought me back, but something went wrong after the end of the ritual. A gang of biker demons had heard that the Slayer was dead, so they decided to take over the Hellmouth. They got to the cemetery, and they ran over the Urn of Osirus. Willow, Tara, Xander, and Anya, she's an ex-vengeance demon, ran to the woods. They thought the ritual didn't work, but it did.

I woke up in a coffin. I was so… confused. I wasn't in Heaven anymore. It was dark, and confining. I yelled, but nobody heard me. So I had to claw my own way out of it. Everything was somehow familiar, but I just couldn't remember it. I thought I was in Hell. Dawn was there after I walked around a bit. I was on the tower. She tried to stop me, but I was reliving that night when I had died three months ago. Luckily she stopped me and we went home. When I was 22, Faith died. She was in prison, because she had woke up when I was 19, and she turned herself in. She killed herself so another Slayer could be called. That was when Ashley, the Cuban Slayer, was called. She's been at it for three years, almost four. When I was 23, Willow and Tara found a spell to close the Hellmouth. Forever. We all tried it, and Willow had to use my blood to permanently close it. It worked. The Hellmouth was closed. For two years, we lived relatively normal. I would slay the occasional vampire, sometimes I would go to LA to help Angel and Cordelia. Xander and Anya got married, Dawn graduated from High school and is going to college, and Willow and Tara graduated from college. Giles stayed, and he's been thinking about moving to England. Then I got the letter from Albus, and here I am."

It was a few moments before anybody talked again. They were all thinking about what Buffy had just told them. She had died? Twice? She defeated Glorificus? Impossible! Glorificus was too strong for just a Slayer. Ah, but she's not just a Slayer. She had survived _ten_ years! It seemed impossible, yet they knew it was true. They had a feeling she hadn't told them the whole story, though.

Sirius stared at Buffy, fascinated that _she_ was the Slayer, or a Slayer. He felt sorrow about what she had been through, so he put a comforting hand on her arm. She smiled at him, then leaned her head on his shoulder. Sirius was startled, then he smiled.

"So. Now that you've all heard my sob story, why don't you tell me about this Pull the Cork guy. What kind of name is that anyway? I can just see it. 'Watch out for Pull the Cork! Strikes fear in the hearts of many!' What is the world coming to? Honestly, Pull the Cork?" Buffy snorted, completely unaware of her butchering of the Dark Lords name.

Albus smiled. "It's Voldemort, Buffy. Voldemort." He could already tell it was going to be a fun year.

Thanks for reading. This was such a boring chapter. But it had to be written. The next chapter will be boring too. I'll try to speed things up. Review please!!

-DevilsTears


	8. Explaining Harry Potter

Title: Bound by Loyalty

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Harry Potter- Pretty much books 1-4.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Seasons 1-5 and some of season 6.

Pairings: Buffy/Sirius Black, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione

Summary: Buffy gets a letter inviting her to help teach at Hogwarts. Dumbledore tells her about the fight with Voldemort, and she agrees to help protect Harry Potter. While there, she learns things about herself that she never knew, and she finds a way to live. Meanwhile, Sirius Black can't stop thinking about the blonde Slayer that has suddenly invaded his life.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them. Buffy goes to Whedon, and Harry and everybody in the Potter-verse go to Rowling. If you don't recognize anyone, they're probably mine. I do own the plot, though. Don't sue. Please.

Authors Note: Thanks to **mika, kitty minky, Naitch03, fairieangel, kalandra, cat, and DeerInTheHeadlights **for reviewing.

Mika: condensing means reducing. I condensed her life story, meaning I reduced or shortened it. Sirius did sound a little brainy with the Slayer knowledge, didn't he? Well, he's fascinated with Slayers, so he'd know a lot about them. Is there going to be Remus? Of course! It wouldn't be right without him. Thanks for reviewing.

Kitty minky: no on the whole Potentials become Slayers. The First never happened. Anya and Xander didn't get visited from wacky relatives or and older Xander. In chapter one, I explained that Tara and Willow had graduated from college and they're still a couple, so no Tara hasn't died. And I also explained that the whole Buffy/Spike never happened. There are too many stories out there that uses the same nicknames for Voldemort. I decided to try something different. Thanks!

So, here's the next chapter. This one pretty much consists of what's been happening in the Harry Potter universe. Well, here goes….

………………..(Chapter 8: Lord Voldemort)……………………

'I've become so numb I can't feel you there

I've become so tired so much more awareI'm becoming this all I want to doIs be more like me and be less like you.'

-Linkin Park 'Numb'

(9:45- Harry's Room)

It was dark outside, the moon and the stars lighting the lawn. Everything was peaceful out there. The lake was calm, the faint breeze barely rippling the water. Trees swayed to their own music, unheard by human ears. Lights were on in Hagrid's hut, and the giants shadow could be seen in the window. The outside world was calm and, for once, asleep. But not inside of his head. Emotions raged. Thoughts bounced back and forth. And for the life of him, Harry Potter could not fall asleep. He was dead tired. It had been a hard day.

Harry sighed. There were so many thoughts and feelings in his head, and they wouldn't go away. He looked out the window at the Forbidden Forest, shivering. That was one place that was never peaceful. Yawning, he lay back down on his bed. He still had an hour and a half before he had to meet Sirius with Hermione and Ron. Thinking about them made him smile. Then he frowned, his thoughts focusing on Buffy Summers.

Who was she? Dumbledore obviously trusted her. She was a pretty good teacher. But so mysterious. _Well,_ Harry thought, _I'll just have to find out myself._ With that in mind, he fell into a dreamless sleep.

(Staff Room)

__

This is it, Sirius thought. _This is when she learns the truth. Will she be able to handle it? Of course, you idiot! She's the Slayer. A Slayer. She's been through a lot. I wonder if she- _his mind rambling was cut off by Dumbledore, who began the story.

"About 35 years ago, there was a boy named Tom Riddle, who later became Lord Voldemort. Voldemort is probably the strongest, certainly the most evil, wizard in history. 14 years ago, Voldemort was strong, very strong, and he was recruiting other wizards and witches to become Death Eaters. He picked Lily and James Potter, who were 19 and had a year old baby, Harry Potter. They refused, and ran. Voldemort was after them, so they chose a Secret Keeper. A Secret Keeper is someone that… well, keeps a secret, and the only was for someone else to find out that secret is if the Secret Keeper willingly gives it up. They chose a Secret Keeper and told him where they would be hiding. That Secret Keeper was Sirius," he paused.

Buffy looked at Sirius, surprised. He didn't look at her. She motioned to Dumbledore to continue his story.

"Well, it was him at first. Sirius suggested another friend of theirs, because he was the first person Voldemort would choose, and he knew the change would momentarily confuse the Dark Lord long enough to let James, Lily, and Harry get away. They chose Peter Pettigrew. But he betrayed them to Voldemort. He found them, and killed James. He tried to kill Harry, but Lily jumped in front of him to save his life. She died. When he turned to Harry, something extraordinary happened. The killing spell bounced off Harry and hit Voldemort. The spell hurt him, weakened him so much he had to run and hide. For ten years he hid. Angry and weak. He came back in Harry's first year and tried to get the Sorcerer's Stone, a stone that could give you everlasting health. He shared the body of Professor Quirrell, the old DADA Professor, but Harry, Hermione, and Ron stopped him.

In their second year, Tom Riddle came back. But not quite. His memories were preserved in a diary that got into the possession of First year Ginny Weasley, Ron's sister. She wrote about Harry, about how he was the famous Boy-Who-Lived, about his scar in the shape of a lightening bolt, acquired by Voldemort. Tom Riddle wanted to meet Harry, so he controlled Miss Weasley, had her write messages on the wall in chicken blood. Harry learned he was a Parseltongue, that he could talk to snakes. He kept hearing a voice, hissing to kill. Students were found paralyzed, and Hermione was paralyzed after she found out what was going on. Luckily, she left a not to Harry and Ron. It told them that the think paralyzing the students was a basilisk, a giant snake whose eyes meant death to anyone who looked into them. They have a paralyzing effect when they are looked at in a reflection. Because it was a snake crawling around, Harry could hear it speaking. Then Miss Weasley was taken down to the Chamber of Secrets, where Tom Riddle was feeding off of her life force, slowly becoming solid. Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley went down to rescue her. Harry defeated the basilisk and prevented Tom Riddle from becoming real again.

In their third year, Harry found out that Sirius Black was his god-father, and that he had escaped from Azkaban, the wizard prison. He was there because he had been accused of killing Peter Pettigrew and 13 muggles." Once again, Buffy looked at Sirius in surprise. He seemed uncomfortable. "Then Harry learned that Sirius had supposedly been responsible for his parents death. When Sirius escaped, everyone though he was after Harry. Remus Lupin became the DADA teacher, and he had also been a friend of James, Sirius and Peter. He also thought Sirius betrayed his best friend. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Remus, and I became informed that Peter was the one that betrayed James and Lily, and that he was still alive, hiding in the form of Mr. Weasley's rat, Scabbers. It turns out that Sirius, James, and Peter was all Animagus. They could turn into animals, but nobody but them knew about it.

They captured Peter and was about to bring him to the authorities when they were captured. Peter morphed into a rat and ran away. Sirius was about to be given the dementor's Kiss, which would have taken his soul, when Harry and Hermione went back in tome. They got Buckbeak, Hagrid's Hippogriff that was about to be executed for attacking a student, and saved Sirius. Buckbeak and Sirius went into hiding. That was the end of year three. Last year was when Voldemort finally came back to power. We held the Triwizard Tournament. It's a series of test given to three selected seventh year students. One from Hogwarts, one from Durmstrang, and one from Beauxbaton. But something happened. Harry's name was entered when it wasn't allowed to be. I put an age barrier on the cup and no one under Seventh year could get his or her name into it. But Harry's got in. And it was drawn. Along with another Hogwarts student, Cedric Diggory. The tests began. At the final test, Harry and Cedric reached the trophy first. They decided they should both grab it at the same time. They did and got transported from Hogwarts.

It turns out that the trophy was a portkey. It brought them to Voldemort, his Death Eaters, and Peter Pettigrew. Cedric was killed, and Harry's blood brought Voldemort back to power. He was going to kill Harry, but Harry was protected by his mothers love. Mr. Potter got back to Hogwarts and our current Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher took Harry inside the school and tried to kill him. We found out he wasn't the real Alastor Moody, just one of Voldemort's Death Eaters who drank Poly Juice potion to turn into Moody. We got him in time and the imposter was sadly killed by a dementor. But Voldemort was alive and powerful again. And that brings you here." Albus finished, hen sat down. Everyone was silent once again. Buffy glanced down at her watch. 11:07. Wow, that lasted a long time.

Dumbledore stood up once again and spoke. "Well, it's late. Why don't we all get some sleep. The second day of classes is tomorrow, and we're all exhausted."

"Albus? I was wondering if it would be all right if I explained about this to Harry, Ron, and Hermione," Sirius asked, standing up as the rest of the Professors filed out, the last one Snape.

"It's all up to Buffy if she wants you to tell them what she is and what she is doin here. It is her story." They both looked at her.

"It's fine with me, as long as I can be there," She answered.

"Sure. Goodnight Albus," Sirius walked to the door.

"Goodnight Dumbledore, I'll see you tomorrow." Buffy followed Sirius out side, stretching on the way. She joined him at the door, and together they headed to the Great Hall.

……………………………….

Thank Goodness all the life stories are done. At least for now, that is. Thank you for reading, and don't forget to review! The next chapter should be up pretty soon.

Here's a sneak peek:

__

"So…people thought you killed other people, huh?" She blurted out without thinking.

And:

__

Abandoning professionalism, she tackled Mr. Invisible. She stared in surprise at what she saw. Or who.

Stay tuned!!!

-DevilsTears


	9. Being Invisible

Title: Bound by Loyalty

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Harry Potter- Pretty much books 1-4.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Seasons 1-5 and some of season 6.

Pairings: Buffy/Sirius Black, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione

Summary: Buffy gets a letter inviting her to help teach at Hogwarts. Dumbledore tells her about the fight with Voldemort, and she agrees to help protect Harry Potter. While there, she learns things about herself that she never knew, and she finds a way to live. Meanwhile, Sirius Black can't stop thinking about the blonde Slayer that has suddenly invaded his life.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them. Buffy goes to Whedon, and Harry and everybody in the Potter-verse go to Rowling. If you don't recognize anyone, they're probably mine. I do own the plot, though. Don't sue. Please.

Authors Note: Thanks to **Bridget Spackman, blondi gurl, charmedfanatic3000, kitty minky, mistress of metal, and fairieangel **for reviewing.

Kitty minky- Yes, I hate these stupid background chapters. They suck!

Mistress of metal- Well, I think that Hermione is like Willow, Ron is like Xander, and Harry is like Buffy, so she'll feel kinda close to them. Remus will be pretty soon. When you see who Mr. Invisible is, you'll probably feel disappointed. It's not that exciting.

Well, here's chapter 9.…

……………………………(Chapter Nine: Invisible People)…………………………….............

'Sometimes, I feel a little helpless,

Seems like (well) I can't do a thing.'

-Lindsay Lohan "What Are You Waiting For"

There was an uncomfortable silence between them as they walked. Buffy kept glancing at Sirius, then looking away when he looked at her. Searching her mind for something, anything, to say, she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. "So… people thought you killed other people, huh?" She said without thinking. Her eyes widened when she realized what she said. 'Way to go Summers. Make the man more uncomfortable and make yourself look like an ass at the same time. Way to multi-task.' She winced. Sirius stopped to stare at her. "Sorry. I didn't mean to say that. It just kinda… came out. I mean, I don't believe you did it or anything, just that you were accused of killing people and there I go again and I'm babbling, aren't I? Okay." She paused, taking a deep breath. Sirius was still looking at her, his face an unreadable mask. "Listen, I understand how it feels. I-"

"How can you understand?" Sirius calmly asked, pushing his anger down. "You didn't have people think you killed someone. You didn't get betrayed like I did." He was still calm, but some of his anger was showing up in his green eyes. He saw Buffy's hurt look and regretted what he said.

"But I do! I know what it's like to be betrayed, and to have people think I killed someone. I was 17 years old. It was when Kendra died. It was my fault too. I was fighting Angelus. Willow, Xander, Giles, and Kendra were at the library. Angelus was only a distraction for me. Drusilla came while I was gone. She killed Kendra. When I came back to the library, Giles was gone and Willow, Xander, and Kendra were on the ground. I was checking Kendra's pulse to see of she was alive. That's when the police found me. They thought I killed her and they tried to arrest me.

I escaped and ran. That night my mom found out I was the Slayer. I tried to leave to save Giles, but she wouldn't let me. She said that if I left the house I could never come back. And you know what I did? I left. I saved Giles and I ran away after killing Angelus. I went to LA for three months when I realized I couldn't keep running for the rest of my life and I went back. I was cleared of the charges and my mom let me go home." She stared at him. "I understand what you went through, because I went through horrible things too."

Sirius sighed, running a hand through his hair, frustrated. "I- I'm sorry. I just… it's hard, hearing Dumbledore talk about it. Him telling the story brought up memories," he explained helplessly.

"I know how you feel. I didn't exactly like telling my story to a bunch of people I don't know. Listen, it's 11:20 and the kids should be here soon, so let's sit down." They went to the Gryffindor table and settled down.

At 11:34, they arrived.

……………………………….......

At first Buffy didn't see them, but she could feel them enter the room. She looked around and saw a shimmer of… something. Not knowing what it was, she got up and pretended to walk around the room.

Fiddling with her ring, she 'accidentally' dropped it near the shimmer just to make sure something was actually there, and that it wasn't just her imagination. 'Nope,' she thought. 'Not just my over-active exhausted mind. Something's there.'

Abandoning professionalism, she tackled Mr. Invisible. She stared in surprise at what she saw. Or who.

………………..(7 minutes earlier: 11:31)………………….

Harry, Ron, and Hermione practically ran to the Great Hall, careful to stay under the Invisibility cloak. They'd had a hard time getting out of the Gryffindor common room, because Fred and George Weasley, Ron's 7th year twin brothers, didn't go to bed until 11:23 p.m. and they had to wait a few minutes for the coast to clear before thy snuck out. They had reached the Great Hall at 11:33, and they all stopped in surprise and concern when they saw Professor Summers sitting on a table. They were relieved when they saw Sirius though.

Then they stiffened when Professor Summers scanned the room and her rested on them, then they had breathed a collective sigh of relief when her gaze continued scanning the Hall. They stood where they were when she suddenly got up and walked around they room. They stilled and pressed together when she dropped her ring right by them. Professor Summers bent over and picked it up. As she put it back on, she looked directly at them. And then she suddenly tackled the three.

Hermione was slid a few feet away, but Ron and Harry were suddenly looking up into the wincing face of Buffy Summers. "Oops," she, Harry, and Ron said at the same time. They looked at each other in astonishment, then Harry and Ron laughed and Professor Summers smiled.

Sirius ran over to them, asking if they were alright. Buffy rolled off of the two students and lay beside them, slightly embarrassed. The poor kids that she tackled stood up, dusting themselves off, but Buffy just lay there wishing the ground would open and swallow her.

"Are you alright, Buffy?" Sirius asked, standing over her. He looked at her, concerned. When she had gotten and walked the room, he had thought that she was merely exploring, so he had just stared off into space. Then she had jumped at air, but had hit something solid. Hermione had slid on the floor, becoming visible, and the invisibility cloak had fell off of Ron and Harry, and He saw Buffy laying on them.

"Oh yeah, just fine. Mortified beyond belief, however. On my first day of teaching, I'm late for class, and them I go and jump on top of three students! I'm not making a very good first impression, am I?" She asked a smiling Sirius, who shook his head no. She sighed and got to her feet, dusting herself off and straightening her clothes. She looked at Harry, Ron, and a now standing Hermione. Smiling sheepishly, she said, "Sorry about that. I don't do so well with invisible things."

"That's okay. It's kind of our fault. I guess we shouldn't have kept the invisibility cloak on. How did you sense us, anyway?" Harry asked curiously.

"O-oh. Well… um." Buffy wasn't exactly keep on the idea she was the Slayer to a couple of kids. Sirius looked, his gaze reassuring. "Well, it's like this…" and she told them.

………………………….

This chapter is really short, and I won't be able to update as much because school is about to start. So, stay tuned and I'll try to update soon. Thanks for reading!


	10. Pancakes and Heartaches

Title: Bound by Loyalty

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Harry Potter- Pretty much books 1-4.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Seasons 1-5 and some of season 6.

Pairings: Buffy/Sirius Black, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione

Summary: Buffy gets a letter inviting her to help teach at Hogwarts. Dumbledore tells her about the fight with Voldemort, and she agrees to help protect Harry Potter. While there, she learns things about herself that she never knew, and she finds a way to live. Meanwhile, Sirius Black can't stop thinking about the blonde Slayer that has suddenly invaded his life.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them. Buffy goes to Whedon, and Harry and everybody in the Potter-verse go to Rowling. If you don't recognize anyone, they're probably mine. I do own the plot, though. Don't sue. Please.

Authors Note: Thanks ever so much to **Celtic Babe/ Elven Bride and kitty minky **for your absolutely wonderful reviews. You guys totally made my day. Seriously. I love you!

Celtic Babe/Elven Bride- You are one of my favorite reviewers. You and kitty minky are just… beautiful. Yes, I am a little obsessed with the whole time sequence thing. I think that it makes it easier, for me and the readers, to understand what's going on and when it's going on. And it helps me keep things organized. Ya know, I wasn't even thinking about Harry's watch and Colin's camera flash. I just wanted her watch to work. But, that gives me an excuse, and it's a darn good one, so thanks! Here's the next chapter, and it should be longer.

Kitty minky- I just might take your advice and quit school! Just kidding. This is a part time gig, just because I like to write and I think that being able to express myself through my writing is more creative and relaxing than doing anything to people that make me mad. At least this doesn't get me thrown in jail. Chocolate can distract even the most stubborn girl… well, at least it can distract me when I'm angry or sad. I think that chocolate is God's way of saying 'Sorry for giving you PMS. Here, this'll make you feel a whole lot better.'

Well, here is chapter 10. Basic summary: Buffy and Severus have a meaningful conversation and Sirius gets jealous. Enjoy!

-----------------------------------------------------

'This could be

Your final heartYour final heartbreak'

-Jessica Simpson "Final Heartbreak"

---------------------------Chapter 10: Pancakes and Heartaches----------------------------------

It was 1:30 by the time everyone went to bed. They had all sat around discussing Buffy being the Slayer. She had explained to Harry that she was at Hogwarts to help protect the school. Then she told him about the tower and what had happened. Who the girl was and why she had jumped off the tower. Harry liked Buffy. She was nice, funny, and honest. She didn't look at him in pity, but in sympathy, like she understood everything he'd been through. Which he didn't doubt she did. She was a Slayer, wasn't she? He smiled softly as he fell asleep, knowing that somehow everything would be okay.

----------------------------September 18th-------------------------------

As the days passed by, Buffy got accustomed to being a teacher at Hogwarts. Once a week, she used a school owl and mailed everybody in Sunnydale. They in turn owled her back a batch of letters and a picture or other memento. At night, she would go out and slay the occasional vamp or demon. Dumbledore had warned her that there were harmless creatures in the forest, such as Centaurs or Unicorns. So far she had only come across evil things.

The school was really interesting, but very confusing. She still sometimes got lost going to the Great Hall or her classroom. Luckily, she hadn't yet needed to got anywhere else. And the ghosts! Buffy hadn't encountered one face-to-face until her second week teaching.

She had been wandering down the corridor that led to the Great Hall, lost in thought. Once again, she was day-dreaming about Sirius Black…

_Buffy's short stature easily let her mingle with the few students still heading to the Great Hall. Only a couple noticed who she was, and they made sure that they didn't say anything to get them in trouble. She wouldn't have noticed, however, because she was once again thinking about her latest encounter with Sirius, which had involved a few blushes and some stammering. Buffy spent her patrols, besides slaying of course, thinking about the conversations they had, mentally correcting whatever she had said, replacing it with something witty to make her seem charming._

__

She had been changing one of her comments with a funny remark in their last conversation, which had been about the weather, when something big and decidedly wet splashed on her head, soaking her. Startled, Buffy stopped. A laugh made her look up. A ghost was floating about ten feet above her, holding another water balloon. Disbelief and astonishment quickly turning to anger, Buffy didn't notice the students stop and turn to watch. Most of them, those who hadn't seen her when she was angry that is, felt sorry for the new professor, as it seemed that Peeves was going to throw the second water balloon. All of them were glad that it wasn't one of them the poltergeist was targeting.

__

Placing her hands on her hips, Buffy glared up at the ghost. "Don't you dare," she said in her most no-nonsense voice. The same one she used on her sister when they were younger and Dawn had been trying on her clothes again and trying to sneak one of her favorite shirts away. Or when she had almost eaten the rest of her mint chocolate ice cream. It had usually worked. Grinning evilly, Peeves pretended to lob the balloon at her. As she stepped out of the way, he threw it for real, hitting her squarely on the head. Her shriek drew a few professors from the Great Hall, the rest staying behind to protect the students in case something dastardly was happening.

__

Those that had gone out had been McGonagall, Hagrid, and of course with her luck, Sirius.

__

Standing there in wet clothing and a furious look on her pretty face was Buffy Summers. And above her was Peeves, laughing uproariously. Sirius winced in sympathy. He had been about to step forward and reprimand Peeves when Buffy did something unexpected. She smiled. However, it wasn't the nicest smile. It was sort of downright evil.

__

"You may find this funny now, Peeves, but you wait until I get you back. Then you'll regret the day you died," she said sweetly, before indignantly turning around and gracefully walking to the stairs. The whole effect had been ruined by her squelching shoes and the wet footprints she was leaving behind. Sirius smiled at the now silent and uncertain looking Peeves.

__

The ghost had left the room whenever Buffy was near.

On Sept. 19, Buffy met her first Centaur. She had been patrolling, and she was just about to call it a night when she felt something to her left. It didn't feel evil, so she turned and waited. A few seconds later, a large… something came out. A Centaur! Buffy looked at the half-human half-horse in something akin to awe. Such a magnificent creature.

The Centaur stopped in front of her, regarding her warily. Buffy was speechless. He was beautiful and fierce. And then he spoke to her.

"Slayer," he began, "my name is Amitabha. On behalf of my race, we thank you for guarding this forest and ridding it of the foul creatures that hunt us."

"Um… you're very welcome," Buffy replied. She was amazed. People didn't thank her for what she did. They just ignored her and her job, choosing to live a life of ignorance.

"In repayment, we would like to offer our services to you for as long as we, and this forest, stand."

"Oh. That's very kind of you. Thank you so much. But, how do I find you?"

"Just step into the forest and yell out 'Twilight Searchers' then whistle twice. Someone will find you. If you are in need of more than one Centaur, or if you need help with a fight, yell out 'Heaven Gazers' then whistle three times."

"Okay. Thank you," Buffy replied, gratified. Amitabha nodded, then cantered off. Shaking her head, Buffy turned around and went back to Hogwarts. Entering her room, she changed into her 'Yummy Sushi' pajamas and collapsed into bed, glad it was Friday.

-------------------------------------

Draco Malfoy woke at 6 o'clock Saturday morning cold and exhausted. Swinging out of bed and wincing when his feet touched the cold concrete floor, he rubbed his sleepy eyes. Yawning, he changed into his Quidditch robes. Today was the first Quidditch practice, and Slytherins had the Pitch until 10, then the Gryffindors took over.

"Bloody Gryffindors," he muttered. "Bloody dungeons have to be so damn cold. Bloody Flint waking me up so bloody early." Still muttering, he joined the rest of his team in the Slytherin Common Room. Heading to the Quidditch Pitch, all Draco was thinking about was more sleep.

------------------------------------------

Waking up at 8:30, Buffy was disappointed. She had wanted to sleep until the crack of noon. Yawning and stretching, she was resigned to waking up. Getting out of bed, she headed to her personal bathroom and hopped into the shower.

The hot water felt good on her aching muscles. Closing her eyes, Buffy leaned against the cream colored tiled wall. Washing her hair, she smiled. Amitabha's offer to help had really boosted her spirits. Maybe she wasn't the only one that refused to believe that there was not hope.

Drying herself off. She stepped into her closet, choosing her outfit. White pants with a white off the shoulder top. She left her hair straight and put a minimal amount of make-up on. Only powder, blush, and red lip gloss. Satisfied with her appearance, Buffy slipped on flip-flops and left her room.

Managing to make it to the Great Hall without getting lost once, Buffy smiled happily. Entering, she tried to stifle her disappointment at Sirius' absence. Sighing, she took a seat at the Professors table between McGonagall and Snape. Smiling tiredly to McGonagall and Dumbledore, they both nodded back before returning to their own conversation. Buffy looked at the food spread out before her and thought she was in piggy heaven. Grabbing a steaming roll, and buttering it, she bit into it's soft flakiness. Closing her eyes in satisfaction, she swallowed the bite and turned to a quiet Snape beside her.

During her three week at Hogwarts, they had barely spoken with one another except for the occasional "Good morning," "Good night," "Pass the so-and-so, please," and even an "That's my goblet you're drinking out of." Since that night when Buffy had felt was Snape was feeling, she had been watching him closely. Right then he was staring down at his plate of pancakes. Decided to at least be friendly, she said "With pancakes, I always made them with chocolate chips in the batter. Have you ever tried that Severus?"

Snape looked up, startled. As he registered her words, he smiled faintly. It wasn't exactly a smile, more like a quick upturn of lips. But it counted as a smile in Buffy's book, and her book was always well informed. "No, I haven't," he answered. "However, my mother used to put blueberries in mine when I was a child."

"Ah, the whole healthy/unhealthy food trick. The blueberries make it healthy, and the syrup makes it unhealthy, so it balances out. My mom used to do it all the time. Every Saturday it would be chocolate chip pancakes. You should try it sometime." She smiled quickly before turning back to her own pancakes, and Severus to his. After that the silence was more comfortable as Severus contemplated Buffy, and Buffy reminisced back to when her mother was alive.

-------------------------------------

Shoving the last of the graded essays from his pile onto Buffy's, Sirius stood up and stretched, glancing at the clock. 9:07. His stomach grumbled, telling him to go to breakfast. He told himself that the reason he was rushing wasn't because of the prospect of seeing Buffy again, but because he was hungry. And he was still telling himself that when he got to the Great Hall.

When he arrived, Sirius felt a flare of jealously erupt as he saw her in deep conversation with, surprisingly, Snape. The evil, foul Snape. 'You have no reason to be jealous. She's not yours!' he told himself. 'And besides, what could she possibly see in Snape, of all people? Slime git.' Immediately reassured, he quickened his pace. Gritting his teeth, he made himself sit next to Snape so he could be close to Buffy. Smiling over at her, he said "Good morning Buffy. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm great. Severus and I were just discussing what should be put in pancakes," she gave Snapes arm a friendly squeeze. Sirius stomped on his envy.

"I like blueberries myself," he said.

Buffy smiled at him. "What a coincidence. Severus here just said he likes his pancakes with blueberries too. You guys might have a lot in common and you don't even know it."

Sirius mentally groaned.

-----------------------------------------

Severus mentally groaned. Miss Summers certainly was a chatterbox, and she seemed hell-bent on including him in the conversation with Black. He had to admit that he was surprised, and not unpleasantly, when she had first talked to him. Everybody else, besides Dumbledore, seemed to find him somewhat repulsive.

True, he was grateful to her for not right off the bat hating him, but to make him act civilized around Black was altogether too much. She hadn't even said anything, she just looked at him with these eyes that would make even Voldemort want to turn good, just to hear her say one kind thing to him. It wasn't fair that he had no such weapon. He doubted anyone else did.

Severus silently chuckled. It seemed that Black was smitten with Summers. For that one thing, Severus pitied him. She would have him wrapped around her pinkie in no time. Just look at him with her eye trick, and he was eating out of her palm. When there was a lull in the conversation, he politely excused himself. It was 9:30, and he wanted to see his Slytherins practice before the Gryffindors took over the pitch. Robes billowing, he swept out of the Great Hall.

-----------------------------------------------

At five minutes to 10, Harry approached Sirius at the professors table. He was so engrossed in watching Buffy make smiley faces out of the cut up pieces of pancakes that he didn't notice Harry until he said his name the third time. As he turned, Buffy looked at Harry and smiled in greeting. He smiled back.

"Gryffindor is about to practice Quidditch. Do you want to watch?" He asked Sirius.

"Squid-what?" Buffy asked, confused.

"Quidditch. A game played on broomsticks," Harry answered, amused when her eyes widened.

"Broomsticks?" She whispered, incredulous.

"Yeah. Wanna watch?" Harry asked, laughing when she nodded her head enthusiastically. When they reached the Quidditch pitch, Buffy's head swiveled back and forth, trying to take it all in. She stuck close to Sirius and Harry, smiling that the Slytherins that walked past with sneers on their faces. The only one that didn't glare at Harry was Draco Malfoy. He seemed to be thinking deeply about something.

Spotting Snape, Buffy called out, "Severus, hi!" while motioning him to come over. Reluctantly, he made his way to the three.

"Summers," he said in greeting, looking down at her beaming face. Why was she beaming at him? His eyes roamed over a glaring Harry and Sirius, who was standing closer to Buffy as if he was protecting her. He almost snorted at the idea. Black protecting a Slayer? It was kind of funny.

"I just found out about this whole Quit-it sport. You fly? On broomsticks? That is just too cute," Summers fired of in rapid succession, smiling enthusiastically.

"The sport is called Quidditch. And yes, they play on broomsticks. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have papers to grade," he replied, turning away.

"Okay. Bye Sev!" Buffy called out to his retreating back. Turning to Sirius, she was surprised to see he was looking kind of sad.

"What's the matter, Sirius? Why're you so blue?" she asked, looking up into his beautiful eyes that made her forget Harry was standing there, made her forget they were standing in the middle of a field that was meant for a sport played on broomsticks, eyes that made her forget she was at the most beautiful castle she had ever seen.

Immediately shaking off his melancholy, Sirius lied. "Nothing. Just thinking about all the papers that are going to be needed to be graded." He was glad when she seemed to accept his answer and didn't push. Truth be told, he was very disappointed and heartbroken. He knew it was crazy because he'd only known Buffy for a few weeks, but her really liked her. And she seemed to like someone else.

But, for God's sake, did that someone else have to be Snape of all people?

-----------------------------------------

Well, hope you liked. I'll update in a week or so.

Next chapter: Buffy learns about Quidditch, Sirius goes patrolling with her, and he confronts her about her feelings for Snape.


	11. Who He Was

Title: Bound by Loyalty

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Harry Potter- Pretty much books 1-4.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Seasons 1-5 and some of season 6.

Pairings: Buffy/Sirius Black, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione

Summary: Buffy gets a letter inviting her to help teach at Hogwarts. Dumbledore tells her about the fight with Voldemort, and she agrees to help protect Harry Potter. While there, she learns things about herself that she never knew, and she finds a way to live. Meanwhile, Sirius Black can't stop thinking about the blonde Slayer that has suddenly invaded his life.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them. Buffy goes to Whedon, and Harry and everybody in the

Potter-verse go to Rowling. If you don't recognize anyone, they're probably mine. I do own the plot, though. Don't sue. Please.

Author's Note: I am sooo sorry that this is late. I have been so busy, it's not funny. I'll try to update faster, but I'm not promising anything. Thanks to **Hollow Nightmare, zayra, SiriusEarendil, cancan227, kitty minky, and Celtic Babe/Elven Bride **for reviewing.

Hollow Nightmare- I hate writing life stories. It's like reading a bunch of stuff I already know. I have no clue how long this will be. I'm barely half a chapter ahead! Anyway, thanks for reading.

SiriusEarendil- I agree. Sirius and Buffy are so right for each other. Here's your update. And thanks for reviewing.

Cancan227- Sometimes people think odd things when they feel bad or disappointed about something.

Kitty minky- I love it when people leave long reviews. Thanks a whole bunch. You gave me something to read. I liked writing about Sirius and Snape bonding over pancakes, and I love that Buffy is the instigator. She's practically forcing them to speak to each other. Here's another chapter. Hopefully you won't have to wait so long next time.

Celtic Babe/Elven Bride- I agree. I hate reading stories where people meet, and they get together, and everything is perfect after that. I like angst. Sorry to tell you, but there will be more tension in this story, and there will be 'They're together, they're not together, what's going on?' in this story. It'll be like Ross and Rachel, except not so… Ross and Rachel like. You've never tried chocolate pancakes?!? Why not?!? Go and try them right now. I demand that you do it. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

Buffy flies, Sirius gets confused, Voldemort contemplates, and a door opens…

………………Chapter Eleven: The Little Boy That Was……………….

'When I see, what's inside

When I see, what you hide

Reminds me of a darker place

Reminds me of a useless waste

Rage and anger, Thoughtless hate

Rage and anger, can't see straight.'

- Silent Rage "Author Unknown"

"Okay, first I'll explain the way it works," Harry told Buffy as soon as the Gryffindor Quidditch team got together. "There are three Chasers, two Beaters, a Keeper, and a Seeker. The Chasers, Katie and Angelina, try to score points by putting this ball, called a quaffle, into those goal posts. The Beaters, Fred and George, hit the bludgers," Harry pointed to two balls straining against the bands of leather holding them down, "and try to keep them from hitting the other players. The Keeper, who is Ron, watches over the goal posts to make sure the other team doesn't get a point. And the Seeker, who is me, tries to catch the golden Snitch," he held up a tiny gold ball with wings. Buffy looked at it, fascinated. "They're worth a hundred and fifty points. Whoever catches it usually wins."

Buffy looked at the broomsticks, then the air, then the broomsticks again. Shaking her head doubtfully, she turned to Harry. "Can you really fly?" She asked dubiously. In answer, a Chaser named Katie Bell straddled her broomstick and rose in the air. Buffy's mouth dropped open as Katie flew around the pitch. "Can I try it? Can I, can I, can I?"

Chuckling, Harry nodded and one of the twins handed her a broom. "This is the Nimbus 2000," he said. "Place it on the ground, hold your hand above it and say 'up'," Harry explained. Putting the broom carefully on the ground, Buffy put her hand above it and half-whispered "Up." Nothing happened. Glaring at it, she looked at Harry and Sirius helplessly.

"That wasn't very commanding, Buffy. Show it who's boss. Make it come up to you," Sirius encouraged, watching as she tried it again and the broom flew into her hand with enough force to make her stumble. He smiled proudly, before dropping it when he thought about how he shouldn't feel proud of her for accomplishing this small feat. She fancied Snape. Not him. 'Get over her, Black,' he reprimanded himself. 'You've met lots of women before. She's no different.'

'Ah, but she is,' a voice in the back of his head told him. 'Why else would you be thinking about her so much?'

'I don't know. She's a Slayer, and I'm fascinated bye her. That's all,' he mentally replied.

'You were thinking about her a lot even before you knew she was a Slayer. Admit it, you have a full-blown crush on her. And why no? She's gorgeous, funny, nice, strong, confident, easy-going, smart, everything you're looking for.'

'She likes Snape! So shut up!' Sirius mentally yelled, then flushed. He felt stupid, arguing with himself. He brought his attention back to a happily smiling Buffy.

"I did it! I actually did it! Did you see me, Sirius? I made it come up to me," she proclaimed excitedly.

Sirius swallowed a lump in his throat that shouldn't have been there. "Yeah, Buffy, I saw you. You did really well."

She beamed at him, happy he approved. Sirius stared at her long after she had looked away. Shaking his head clear of thoughts about how adorable she looked in all white, how sexy her bare shoulders were, and how with her flushed face and dancing eyes she looked like a teenager, he returned his attention to Harry, who was explaining how to get on the broom and make it stay.

"First you swing your leg over the broom and sit in the middle," he said, demonstrating. "Make sure you're centered so the broom doesn't get unbalanced and throw you off." Buffy did as she was told. "Okay, good. Next you lightly push off from the ground. But be careful not to push to hard. You'll go flying into the air. Lightly, lightly…"

Buffy barely pushed on the ground, but combined with her Slayer strength and the brooms natural eagerness to fly, it was enough to have her floating. She could feel her eyes widen. Buffy had the sensation of unreality. She looked over at Sirius, who had the cutest grin on his face. As their eyes locked, something happened. An electrical charge zinged through them. Heat coursed through her body, starting at her toes. Disappointment replaced that heat as Sirius looked away, seemingly unaffected by the connection she felt. Ignoring her feelings, she turned back to Harry.

"Great," he was saying. "Now, its up to you and the broom. Just tilt forward and urge it up. It will go whatever way you make it. Go on, give it a try," Harry encouraged. Buffy looked at the broom, the sky, then the rest of the crowd. They were nodding enthusiastically. Shrugging, Buffy urged the broom up, gasping when it immediately responded.

Going higher and higher, Buffy stopped when she was about 60 feet in the air. Looking down, she saw that Sirius and Harry were both waving like maniacs. She waved back before returning to her broom. Going slowly at first, she started circling the Quidditch Pitch, before gaining speed. Soon she was flying the broom as fast as it could go, doing loops and tricks she had seen in the Japanese anime Kiki's Delivery Service. Since she was a little girl, she had always wanted to fly. Pausing, she closed her eyes to savor the feeling of freedom. This was the best she had felt in a long time.

………………………………............

Hiding behind a goal post, Draco watched Professor Summers zoom around the Pitch. 'Not bad,'

he thought to himself. 'For a muggle.' The last part was thought without any anger or malice. Everybody thought that Draco hated muggles, even though that wasn't true. He could tolerate them, but he didn't hate them. And even though Summers was friends with Black and Potter, he didn't hate her or dislike her. In fact, he _liked _her.

She was a good teacher. Nice, but not in a cheesy way. She didn't automatically hat all Slytherins, like a lot of the teachers. Summers treated them all the same. Except for when she was mad. He smirked, remembering an incident the third day of school.

_Draco entered the DADA classroom with Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson on his heels. Grabbing a seat in the back, he sneered at the Gryffindors, because that was what he was expected to do, whiled Crabbe and Goyle sat beside him. Parkinson sat in front of him next to Zabini and some other Slytherin. On the Gryffindor side, Potter, Weasley, and Granger sat in the middle, and Longbottom sat at the table that was next to Parkinson's._

When everyone was seated, Black stood form his desk next to Summers' desk and began class. For the first half Black taught, then the second half Summers taught. Things had unexpectedly been going well. That is until Summers asked them if they knew how to kill Vampires. Longbottom was the first to raise his hand, followed by Granger. Summers called on Longbottom.

"A piece of wood through the heart, sunlight, decapitation, and holy water," he answered without stuttering.

"Perfect! Ten points to Gryffindor. Great job, Neville," Summers beamed at him, and Longbottom smiled. That's what Buffy Summers did, Draco had then realized. She makes people happy by complimenting them on a good homework assignment, or what they were wearing, or a right answer. She acted like she generally cared about the students and what they had to say.

So they was Longbottom, a silly smile on his face. And of course Pansy had to wipe that smile off his face. Draco had frowned, knowing something was coming. And something did.

"Wow, idiot boy actually got something right. I'm shocked," she had muttered loud enough for the students but not the teachers to hear. Longbottoms smile had gone and his face fell. He looked like someone had kicked his toad. The Slytherins snickered, and the Gryffindors glared. Black didn't notice, but somehow Summers heard.

Stopping mid-sentence, she drew herself to her unimpressive height of 5'3". Draco had the impression of strength. However, her height went unnoticed. The force of her glare was enough to send shivers down even old Voldemorts evil back. None of it matched the steel in her voice.

"Do you have something to say, Miss Parkinson?" Pansy shook her head. "I seem to think you do. 20 points from Slytherin for Miss Parkinson's rudeness, and you have detention with me tonight. I will not, ever_, allow put-downs in my classroom. If I hear any of you say a mean word about someone else here, the consequences won't be to your liking. Is that understood?" She asked, icily addressing the class. They all nodded. Draco smirked. This would be fun. Serves Parkinson though._

After that, no one had said a nasty thing. It was great watching Pansy squirm whenever Summers even looked at her. He could tell that Black enjoyed it also.

……………………………….

"Okay, for this to work, I need you to listen to whatever I say. Understand?" Buffy asked Sirius later that night. He had approached her after dinner in the Great Hall, and he had asked her if he could go Slaying with her. Buffy had been wary at first, but then she agreed. Arranging a time to meet at the front entrance, she decided on 10:30, then they went their separate ways. Getting to her room, she had meditated before changing. When it was time to meet Sirius, she slowly picked her way to the front entrance. Buffy was amused when she way what her was wearing. Black jeans, a black turtleneck, and a black robe. She glanced at her own outfit. Blue jeans, a pink long sleeved shirt, and a pink leather jacket. She was also wearing 2 inch heeled boots that were pink.

Sirius had looked her up and down, arched a brow, and asked "Shouldn't we be wearing darker clothing? That'll attract the Vampires, won't it?"

"No, I shouldn't be wearing clothes. Uh, I mean dark clothes. These are comfortable. Besides, we want to attract the vamps. We're trying to kill them, remember?" Sirius nodded, understanding. Now they were at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"There might not be any vamps out. But either way, I want you to stay behind me and don't jump into a fight unless I desperately need help. Got it?" Buffy asked.

"Yes," Sirius replied before following her in. Two hours and four vamps later, they were ready to call it a night. On their way back, Sirius entertained them by telling funny stories of his Hogwarts days. Pretty soon Buffy was laughing.

"So Snape actually said that? What a moron!"

"Yeah. At least I don't fancy him," Sirius shot back, then closed his mouth, not meaning to say that. Buffy stopped smiling.

"You mean someone has a crush on Snape? Oh, who is it? Is it Minerva? Wait, that would be gross. She's like, double his age. What about Pomphrey? How old is she anyway? Does she-" Sirius cut her off.

"No, Minerva and Poppy don't fancy Snape." Sirius was confused. Shouldn't she be embarrassed at being caught fancying someone? "Aren't you mad?"

"Mad? Why would I be mad? Just- oh. Oh! _You_ like Snape? Not that I think there's anything wrong with that. But I thought you guys hated-" She was once again cut off by Sirius, who was wide eyed and emphatically shaking his head.

"_Me?_ Like Snape? Disgusting, disgusting, disgusting. There are so many things wrong with that. I thought _you_ fancied Snape."

"_Me?_ You thought _I _did? No! Snape is nice and all. Well, not exactly nice. But he's not bad-looking, and he's not as horrible as everyone thinks. But he's more my friend than- than person-I-fancy."

"Oh. Okay."

"Why did you think I liked Snape?" Buffy asked, curious.

"Oh, you were hanging around him and talking to him so much I thought you liked him." Sirius felt a huge relief and the tension left his body. As Buffy started walking back to the edge of the forest, something she had said popped into his mind. Jogging to catch up, he called to her retreating back. "You think Snape is good-looking?"

……………………….

In a dark mansion, a fire crackled and the flames threw dancing light on the features of a man. His eyes were black slits, dark and menacing. If eyes were the windows to the soul, they would show his soul to be dark and overcome by evil.

Sitting in a chair that could be appropriately called a throne, this man was the king of this home and of the people residing in it. It was hoped that he would soon become the ruler of the world, all muggles an extinct species. If things went his way, muggles and mud bloods would be things of the past, children reading about them in history and hearing about them in scary bedtime stories.

Lord Voldemort, Dark Lord and all around bad guy, stared into the flames. The cruel flames that heated the stone room, but did nothing to quell the chill that permanently resided where his heard used to be. When he was a child by the name of Tom Riddle. Eleven years old and first entering the school Hogwarts. He used to be naïve, happy, loving, a good guy. Stupid. He was different now. Better, stronger.

A sniveling servant knocked on the open door to his room. "Come in," Voldemort hissed. The servant came in quickly, set a tray of food on the stone table, bowed and practically fled from the room. The Dark Lord smiled a cruel smile. Fear. Such a fickle thing. Fear is what mortals felt. Muggles and mud bloods. Fear was beneath him. He feared nothing. Not even the "noble" Dumbledore, or the boy-who-just-won't-die, Harry Potter.

Seating himself on the stone chair at the stone table in the stone room, Voldemort began eating his food that tasted like stone to him. Briefly he imagined what it was like at Hogwarts. Ahh… what a feast. The little boy that used to be Tom Riddle begged him to come back, to stop being evil. Voldemort stomped on him like he was a bug, then growled and angrily threw his goblet at the wall, the glass shattering. He wasn't that boy anymore. H wouldn't stand for being that boy. The victim. No more was he the victim. He had plans. Many plans.

Satisfied, the Dark Lord sat down and began one of those plans. He ate.

………………………………

On Monday after dinner and an uneventful day of classes, there was a staff meeting. When Buffy entered the room, late as usual, she smiled at Dumbledore and sat next to Sirius. Then she stiffened. There was a demon in the vicinity. It felt familiar. Almost as if… no.

It couldn't be. Could it? Buffy stood up and faced the doorway in a fighters stance. The staff looked at her, surprised. Dumbledore smiled. Buffy didn't have time to think about that, because at that moment the door creaked open…

……………………………….....

Well, there it is. Read and review, please. Sorry again that it is so late.

-DevilsTears


	12. Interlude: Dreams to Make You Realize

Title: Bound by Loyalty

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Harry Potter- Pretty much books 1-4.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Seasons 1-5 and some of season 6.

Pairings: Buffy/Sirius Black, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione

Summary: Buffy gets a letter inviting her to help teach at Hogwarts. Dumbledore tells her about the fight with Voldemort, and she agrees to help protect Harry Potter. While there, she learns things about herself that she never knew, and she finds a way to live. Meanwhile, Sirius Black can't stop thinking about the blonde Slayer that has suddenly invaded his life.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them. Buffy goes to Whedon, and Harry and everybody in the Potter-verse goes to Rowling. If you don't recognize anyone, they're probably mine. I do own the plot, though. Don't sue. Please.

Author's Note: Thanks to** Draco's Slytherin Vampiress, smurfinator, Hollow Nightmare, SiriusEarendil, scruffybunny, kitty minky, blondi gurl, and zayra **for reviewing. You guys kick some serious ass!

Draco's Slytherin Vampiress- You'll just have to wait and see who it is, won't you? I can tell you that no one has guessed who it is yet. Sirius is around 33, so he's about 8 years older than Buffy. If I tell you when they get together, it'll ruin it. But be ready for some issues between them to come up.

Smurfinator- I'll tell you that they aren't evil. That's all, though. Thanks for reviewing.

Hollow Nightmare- Yes, Sirius felt it too. But he didn't want to react because at that time, he thought Buffy had a crush on Snape. I love drama also. I think the stories where they meet, fall in love, and then it's smooth sailing are so boring. I like a little angst and a lot of crying. It's all good. The only story I can think of with Buffy and Sirius together is Redemption. I can't remember who the author is, but it's in the Buffy Crossover section. It's really good. I loved it, and it made me cry. Well, here's that update.

SiriusEarendil- Well, Snape can be good-looking to some people. I'm thinking about making a little mini-series after the Bound series about Snape, I don't know, visiting the Hellmouth maybe. I have no clue about it or what'll happen, though.

Scruffybunny- I love Buffy and Sirius and the way they interact with each other. It's like it's not me writing them talking, but them telling me to write what they had say. Doesn't exactly make sense, I know. Happy reading.

Kitty minky- Here's your update, and it's dedicated to you. I think that everybody has a little bit of good in them, and Voldemort is evil, he's just not pure evil. There was a part of him that was good in the past, and something made him go evil. I'm trying to explore the tragedy surrounding his change to the side of evil. Hope I do it well. Sirius will behave weird in this story. This is how I perceive him when he's feeling deeply about something, but he's very unsure of himself. I've got plans for little Draco. He's not as dumb or egotistical as everyone thinks. He's got feelings too, and I want to show everyone the side of him that he's too afraid to show. You should still leave long and pointless reviews. I enjoy them. J . This isn't all about me, it's about the readers, and I want to get to know everybody that reads this story. I'm thinking of leaving pointless get-to-know-you questions at the end of chapters. Maybe… Well, thanks again for reviewing. You rock!

blondi gurl- you didn't like that cliffy? Oops.

Zayra- I've been reading your story, the one about the Phoenix, with Smallville. It's truly awesome. I love it! You wrote it just great, and it's a good way to merge the two shows.

Okay, everybody. I updated really soon. But this isn't exactly a chapter. It's more of a… what's been happening with people other than Buffy type thing. Here it is…

…………………………… Chapter 12: Interlude- Around the World and Back………………….

'But in the end

Learn or die

Stay in the cage

Or learn how to fly'

-Silent Rage "Author Unknown"

Harry set his quill down and heaved a sigh of relief at finishing his Potions essay. Ron looked at him in sympathy before looking back at his own incomplete paper. Hermione barely even glanced up form her thick book. Stretching his arms above his head, Harry looked at those remaining in the Common Room.

Fred and George sat in a corner, quietly talking. Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell were discussing Quidditch. Neville was also doing his Potions essay, frantically writing.

Standing up, Harry gathered his school work and told Ron he was going to the room. His red-headed friend nodded. Climbing the stairs, Harry smiled to himself as he thought about Friday morning. Teaching Buffy how to fly had been… fun. It was the most fun he'd had in a long while.

Reaching his room, he set his stuff on the trunk at the foot of his bed, then he walked to the window. Staring out it, Harry noticed two figures walking to the castle, each wrapped up in a dark cloak. Frowning, he pressed his nose to the glass, squinting to make out features. However, the people were too far away, and at that moment they had entered Hogwarts. Wondering who they were, Harry shrugged and went back to the Common Room.

……………………………

Draco shivered in the freezing Slytherin Common Room, scooting closer to the fire. He didn't understand why it had to be so bloody cold. It wasn't like they were making a statement freezing their arses off. The only statement this was showing was that they were too dimwitted to make it warm.

Shaking his head, he leaned back against the chair he was sitting in, closing his eyes. Blaise Zabini glanced up from his paper and grinned at Draco.

"Tired?" He asked.

"Thinking," Draco replied.

"About?"

"DADA class today," Draco smirked, thinking about how Professor Summers had nodded off when they all reading a chapter in a book on vampires. Black had cleared his throat, making Summers wake up with a start, looking guilty. She had tried to pretend she had never fell asleep in the first place.

"Yeah. Sometimes that class is a real riot. I don't want to admit it, but Black and Summers make a pretty good teaching team. And Summers isn't hard on the eyes, either," Blaise said, going back to his homework.

"Well, they're better than Quirrell. Even Moody. Lupin wasn't so bad," Draco told him and Blaise nodded in agreement. Nope, Summers and Black weren't horrible at their job. And for that, he was grateful.

……………………………. Meanwhile at Scooby Central……………………

The last bell of the day rang at the University of Sunnydale, and Dawn sighed in relief before gathering her book bag and exiting her Health class, nodding at the professor and saying goodbye to her friends. Rushing to her dorm, she took the steps two at a time before reaching her room. Flinging open the door, she shut it behind her and tuned on her computer. Willow was supposed to email her Buffy's last letter, because it would look weird if an owl flew into her room with a piece of paper.

Sure enough, Willow had emailed her. Grinning, she opened the letter and read it over slowly. What she read made her laugh, as usual. Buffy told her everything about Hogwarts and what had happened that week. Through her, she learned about the professors, the students, and Sirius Black. Buffy had a major crush on Sirius.

Laughing like a maniac about how Buffy had walked in on a couple of seventh years making out and the resulting chaos after that, Dawn heard the door open behind her. Tears streaming from her eyes, she tried to stop laughing and she frantically wiped at her face, to no avail. Finally calming down, she looked at her roommate, who was standing in the doorway with her eyebrow raised.

"Another letter from Buffy?" Shawna guessed.

Dawn told her all about Buffy. Well, the condensed version, of course. Shawna didn't know Dawn's sister was a Slayer, and she lived in England and taught at a magic school. She just thought she was a teacher of Defense in some private school.

Quickly retelling the story of Buffy walking in on seniors at the private school making out in an empty classroom, which had involved smacking heads, chairs toppling over, and Buffy running into a door, soon Shawna too was laughing. That's when Dawn noticed the people behind her friend.

Turning, Shawna motioned the people in. There were five of them. Four of them boys, one a girl. One of the guys was majorly hot. Eyes widening, Dawn looked him over. 6 feet of man. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Wow. She felt like whistling. Shawna introduced them..

"This is Gertie," the girl, "Brad," a brown haired man, "Jordan," another brunette, "Jack," a blonde, "and Rick," _the_ blonde. "They are my cousins and Brad is my brother. Everybody, this is Dawn Summers."

Calling out greetings, Dawn felt the group look her over and wished she looked more presentable. Her hair needed brushed, and she was sure she had raccoon eyes from her mascara. Self-consciously smoothing her hair, she looked at Rick. He was regarding her curiously.

"So, you're Buffy Summers' sister?" Jordan asked.

"Yeah. Did you know her?"

"Nope. She was a Senior when I was a Junior and Rick was a Freshman. She was cool though. Always saving people and she was very nice. How is she?"

"Pretty good. She lives in England. At least for a while. She's a Defense teacher at a private school.

Jordan and Rick nodded. An awkward silence followed. Finally breaking it, Shawna said, "I'll show you the room. Dawn, do you mind if we stay here for awhile?"

"Oh, no. I'm just going to take a shower, but you can stay here. I don't mind." Crossing the room, she grabbed some clothing from the dresser, then she shut down the computer before entering the bathroom. Leaning against the door, she sighed. Dawn looked at the mirror and groaned. Sure enough, her hair was a rats nest, and there was a little bit of black smeared under her eyes.

…………………………..

Humming to herself, Ginny Weasley lay on her bed, doodling on a piece of parchment. She had started out doing her history paper, then she began to daydream. Soon, she was writing her crushes name all over the parchment. When she realized what she was doing, she scowled and crumpled the parchment up. Throwing it at the wall, Ginny flopped onto her back and put her hands on her face.

'It's not like he notices me anyway,' she mentally complained. 'I'm just a baby to him.' Sighing melodramatically, she put her pillow over her face and screamed into it.

Through the open window, wind swooshed in and fluttered a paper covered in hearts and a name: Severus Snape.

…………………………….

"Hermione, can I speak to you for a moment?" Ron asked his brown haired friend. Glancing up form her book curiously, she nodded.

"Well, we've been friends for a long time, and you know I'd do anything for you, right?" Once again, Hermione nodded. "We have been through quite a bit together. Quirrell, Voldemort, Fluffy, Tom Riddle, Voldemort, Snape, Dementors, Voldemort-"

"What exactly are you getting at, Ron?" Hermione interrupted.

"You are one of my best friends and I don't want anything to happen that might compromise that friendship. But…" he trailed off, uncertain.

"But what, Ron?" Hermione prodded.

"Lately I have been developing certain… feelings for you, Hermione. Feelings that are more than friendship, and I think- I hope- you feel the same way."

"You like me?" Hermione asked incredulously. Ron nodded and his heart beat painfully in his chest. Suddenly Hermione laughed. "Oh, this is great! Ron Weasley likes me!" She gazed at him scornfully as the Common Room went silent, gawking at a red faced Ron and a disgusted Hermione. "Listen, Ron. You're simply… not my type. I go for people that have IQ's higher than their age. Sorry." She got up and left the room.

Heat rushing to his face, Ron hurried out of the Common Room, laughter trailing behind him. His heart clenched, and his stomach felt like he had swallowed acid. Good thing he hadn't finished what he was going to say. That he loved Hermione…

Opening his eyes, Ron looked around in confusion. Seeing Hermione look up and smile, then go back to her book, Ron sat back and sighed in relief. It was just a dream. Suddenly he sat up. Wait! He loved Hermione. Eyes wide, he looked at the brown haired girl and felt a smile tug at his lips. Groaning, Ron knew he was in trouble. He loved Hermione. Now what?

……………………….

In the staff room, a blonde Slayer stood facing a door that was creaking open. People stared at her in confusion, then looked at the door. A figure entered, and a name escaped Buffy's lips…

……………………….

Until next time. Well, that was that. I updated early. Yay! So don't forget to review! Here's a question that I want you to answer in your review:

What is your favorite movie?

Thanks guys.

-DevilsTears


	13. Dead People

Title: Bound by Loyalty

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Harry Potter- Pretty much books 1-4.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Seasons 1-5 and some of season 6.

Pairings: Buffy/Sirius Black, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione

Summary: Buffy gets a letter inviting her to help teach at Hogwarts. Dumbledore tells her about the fight with Voldemort, and she agrees to help protect Harry Potter. While there, she learns things about herself that she never knew, and she finds a way to live. Meanwhile, Sirius Black can't stop thinking about the blonde Slayer that has suddenly invaded his life.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them. Buffy goes to Whedon, and Harry and everybody in the Potter-verse goes to Rowling. If you don't recognize anyone, they're probably mine. I do own the plot, though. Don't sue. Please.

Authors Note: You all hate me, I know. It's been over a whole month since I've updated. There's nothing I can say except Sorry, please forgive me!! Anyway, thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone that reviewed. You guys are the best. Thanks to **lil-sis4556, Undead, Minion of the, Wickedmoemoe, Untamed-Beauty, lady lorien, FireofFury, websurffer, Seraya, smurfinator, slayergirl, Draco's Slytherin Vampiress, zayra, kitty minky, SiriusEarendil, Sabia, and Hollow Nightmare.**

Lil-sis4556- wow, I counted a total of 148 updates on your review. I guess that means you want me to update? Here it is, then! Thanks for reviewing.

Undead, Minion of the- I love your name! Anyway, I've never seen American Beauty. Thanks for the review!

Untamed-Beauty- I love the Harry Potter movies. Haven't seen Catwoman yet, though. Oooh, the fourth book on the big screen should be great. I can't wait until the 6th book comes out, though.

Lady lorien- I seem to do a lot of cliffies. Yeah, crossovers are my favorites. I can't guarantee this will be finished soon, but I will finish it. I hate it when people just stop in the middle of a story.

FireofFury- Thanks. I haven't seen that movie before.

Websurffer- I love Johnny Depp. Man, that guy is just so sexy. Drool Once Upon A Time In Mexico is a pretty good movie. I only saw it for Johnny. Have you seen _Chocolat_?

Seraya- Isn't The Haunting an older movie? If it is, then I've seen that. It was creepy, but I liked it.

Smurfinator- Well, you'll find out who it is in this chapter. I used to watch Dirty Dancing all the time. That is a great movie. I refuse to watch Havana Nights. They should just leave the movie as it is.

Slayergirl- Thanks for reviewing. All stories need angst. It makes it more real, because not everybody's lives are just so easy. There's always conflict. It helps people to relate to the story, and get into it, if they can just say, "I know exactly how they feel." I've never seen Crybaby, but I've wanted to rent it and watch it, except I don't know if I would like it. But, it does have Johnny Depp in it.

Draco's Slytherin Vampiress- Maybe your psychic. Or maybe I just really like cliffhangers. This chapter tells you who it is. Thanks for you review.

Zayra- I like cliffies. They keep people in suspense.

Kitty minky- Glad to know I make people feel happy. At least you, anyway. You know, it's funny. I never really liked Dawn, but here I am writing her. I think I just decided that she needed someone. How many of us girls have woken up in the morning and realized that we forgot to take off our mascara? Major raccoon eyes! See, I mostly go for the tall, dark, and mysterious guys. Don't know why. You'll find out what's going on with Ginny and her crush on Severus. Oooh, you should give me your email so I can tell you this idea I have on this series type I'm going to do after my Bound trilogy. I like Hermione and Ron together. They are just too cute! Who's behind the door? You're about to find out! Hmmm…. Favorite movie…. I have no clue, really. I like the LotR movies. Legolas… mmm…. Aragorn… mmm… Why is it that most of the guys are so hot in those movies? I wanna live in Middle Earth. I like the Princess Bride. Ever seen it? It's a great movie. Anyway, thank you so much for reviewing!!

SiriusEarendil- Ginny has the crush on Snape. But you'll see what happens with that…. I've never seen Great Expectations.

Sabia- Sorry about the shortness. I have a tendency to do that. Bridget Jones is funny. I've heard that the sequel kinda ruins it, though.

Hollow Nightmare- Well, not so fast anymore, huh? You'll find out who it is in this chapter. Yes, Ginny likes Snape. You'll see what becomes from that. Yeah, elsawriter. Cute story. PotC is a cute movie. I wanna see the next one. Fawlty Towers is so funny!!! Did you see the Hotel Inspector one? Or Communication Problems? Those were hilarious. I like PotC, LotR, Chocolat, Princess Bride. Those types. Thanks for reviewing.

Well, on with the show….

------------------------------------------

__

Last time on Bound by Loyalty…

"I just found out about this whole Quit-it sport. You fly? On broomsticks? That is just too cute."

"What's the matter Sirius? Why're you so blue?"

Since she was a little girl, she had always wanted to fly. Pausing, she closed her eyes to savor the freedom. This was the best she had felt in a long time.

That's what Buffy Summers did, Draco had realized. She makes people happy.

"Wow, Idiot boy actually got something right. I'm shocked."

"I will not, _ever_, allow putdowns in my classroom. If I hear any of you say a mean word about someone else here, the consequences will not be to your liking. Is that understood?"

"No, I shouldn't be wearing clothing. Uh, I mean dark clothes."

"You mean someone has a crush on Snape?"

"_Me?_ Like Snape? Disgusting, disgusting, disgusting."

"You think Snape is good-looking?"

He feared nothing. Not even the 'Noble' Dumbledore, or the boy-who-just-won't-die, Harry Potter.

No more was he the victim. He had plans. Many plans.

There was a demon in the vicinity. It felt familiar. Almost as if… no. It couldn't be. Could it?

At that moment, the door creaked open.

Harry noticed two figures walking to the castle, wrapped up in dark cloaks. At that moment, they entered Hogwarts.

Leaning against the door, Dawn sighed.

A paper covered with hearts and a name: Severus Snape.

Ron loved Hermione. Now what?

A figure entered and one named escaped Buffy's lips….

----------------------Chapter Thirteen: Past Rememberances-----------------------

'Trapped I am in this my dream.

What is this reality?

Am I walking a pathway unseen

the same roads of eternity.'

-Alex Rhymer "Betrayed"

Rick Porter tuned out his cousins and sisters chattering and got up to look around the room. On the stand next to Shawna's bed was a few pictures of her boyfriend and her family. Regular Shawna stuff. What really interested Rick was Dawn Summer. He remembered her sister, Buffy. Four years older than him, he recalled the first time he had seen her.

It was his second week of school and he had heard Buffy's name many times. She had been seen fighting a group of people that had attacked so-and-so. She was called into Snyder's office and yelling had been heard after she left. But Rick had not seen her yet.

He imagined Buffy to be big and strong. At least 6 feet tall. Possibly ugly. On Wednesday, he was admiring a blonde sitting by herself on a bench before school. Rick was wondering who she was when he heard the name Buffy being called.

Looking around to see if he would finally be able to see the elusive Buffy Summers, he saw a red-head waving to someone behind him. Turning around, his eyes widened when he saw who was waving back. The blonde. He had thought maybe she was a different Buffy, but how many Buffy's were out there? This was her. She was exactly the opposite of what he expected.

Buffy Summers wasn't 6 feet tall. She was short. Really short. Maybe 5'3", if she stood up straight. And she wasn't big and strong looking. She was slim and slightly curvy. And there was the fact that she wasn't ugly. Not even close. Big hazel eyes set on a heart shaped face. Shoulder length blonde hair. For a while, Rick had a little crush on her. But then he started seeing her as a hero, like Batman. Forever doomed to never have true love. She was the heart-anguished hero, and Rick's idol.

Shaking his head and clearing away the old memory, he looked at Dawn's pictures. There was one of her with an older lady he guessed to be her mother. One with Willow Rosenburg and Xander Harris. Another with Cordelia Chase. Most were of her and her sister. There was only one with just Buffy, looking lost and lonely as she stared into the distance. She looked so sad. Moving away from that pictures with a sense of sorrow, he looked at another of Dawn and Buffy. They were hugging each other close, cheeks pressed together and smiling. Dawn wasn't as beautiful as her sister, her blue eyes big on her thin face, but she was still pretty. And there was something about her….

-------------------------------Hogwarts-----------------------------

The name that passed Buffy's lips was too soft to hear, but the man heard. He stopped and stared at her, surprised.

"Buffy?" He asked, glancing behind him. Buffy followed his gaze and narrowed her eyes at the man standing in the doorway.

"Werewolf."

The man looked startled, then he fully entered the room. Everyone was silent as Sirius gaped at him, then they regained their senses. Soon Sirius and the man were laughing and hugging each other, asking rapid fire questions.

Buffy and the first man still stood gazing at each other. Dumbledore stood up and clapped his hands, drawing the eyes of everyone but Buffy and the man. The room quieted down and turned to watch the drama unfold.

Buffy's mind was reeling. How could this be? "How- how are you here? I thought you- you died. You were gone. We got a letter and some of your things. We saw your grave! What is going on?"

"I could ask the same of yourself, Buffy. Last I heard, you were dead. I went to your funeral, saw your body… you were dead."

"Willow. She brought me back. It was 3 months after… after what happened. The letter arrived about 6 months later. We had no way to contact you, and then you were dead. We went to Oregon, and we saw your grave. We mourned you! And you're not even dead? What's going on?"

"This is something I think we should discuss in private. But… Why are you here?"

Buffy smiled. "Well, _I'm_ here to teach. What are _you_ doing here?"

"Remus told me about this place," he gestured to the man standing next to a confused, questioning Sirius. "I wanted to check it out. Wait, did you say teach? You? Teach?"

Buffy laughed and pulled him into a hug. "I'm glad you're not dead."

"I'm glad you're not dead, too."

Smiling, Buffy turned to the room and grabbed the man's arm. "This is everyone. Everyone, this is my good friend, Daniel Osbourne, also known as Oz."

-----------------------------------------------

Sirius was more than a little confused. What was all this talk about dying? Who was this Daniel Osbourne? Remus knew him, trusted him enough to tell him about Hogwarts and to bring him here. Buffy hadn't mentioned an Oz in her story. Maybe he was an ex-boyfriend. Sirius felt a pang at that, but he ignored it. He wanted some answers, and he expected to get some.

Turning to his old friend, he shot Remus a questioning look, and got a helpless shrug back. Looking at Buffy and this Oz guy, he bit back a frustrated sigh to see them laughing and talking together. Sirius glanced at Dumbledore and frowned when he saw a little smile on his lips.

"Why don't we re-schedule this meeting?" Albus asked the group assembled. "It seems as if Buffy and Mr. Osbourne need to get re-acquainted. Tomorrow night, 9:30. Good night."

Sirius didn't want to leave. He didn't like the thought of Buffy and Oz getting re-acquainted by themselves, in any way. But what excuse did he have to stay? None. His choice was made when Remus grabbed his arm and pulled him through the staff door after the last person. After shutting the door, he smiled at Sirius' expression.

"It's okay if they're alone together, Padfoot. They're just friends. You know, I never thought I'd see the day when Sirius Black was smitten with a girl. They're usually smitten with you."

Glaring at his friend, then relenting with a grin, Sirius ran his fingers through his hair, mussing it. "Yeah, it's pathetic, isn't it? She's just so… pretty, nice, beautiful, smart, gorgeous, funny. Take your pick."

"It seems her looks improve with every other word you say." Remus smiled at him.

Smiling back, Sirius replied, "You say her. She's… all of them. Gorgeous. Beautiful. I don't know. She doesn't even like me. You know, for a while there I thought she fancied Snape."

Laughing out loud, then quickly stifling it, Remus dragged Sirius over to the empty staff table. "Snape? Severus Snape? You thought she… fancied him?" Laughing again, he lay his head on the table. Calming down, he lifted it and looked at Sirius, who had a very annoyed expression on his face. "Why did you think that Buffy had a crush on Snape?"

"She was being so nice to him, and I thought…" he trailed off.

"Does she have to have a crush on everyone she's nice to? What about Albus? Or Minerva?" Remus laughed again at the expression on Sirius' face of deep disgust. "Did you say anything to her?"

"Yes, but the conversation wasn't very clear. I said something like 'Well, I'm not the one who fancies Snape.' And after that she was trying to guess who it was. Somehow, she got the idea that _I_ fancied Snape-" he was cut off by Lupin's surprised laughter. Continuing, he said, "I told her that that was so wrong and disgusting, and I though that _she_ liked Snape. Buffy said she didn't, and then you know what she said?"

"No, I wasn't there, remember?"

"She said that Snape was actually handsome."

"No."

"Yes."

"Is this girl blind?"

"Nope."

"So who exactly is she and what is she doing here?"

"Her name is Buffy Summers. She comes from Sunnydale, California, which happens to be the Hellmouth. And get this. She's a Vampire Slayer."

"A Vampire Slayer? Here? That little girl? She can't be much over five feet, and she's skinny. I expected them to be huge and bulky. And she is quite pretty. She doesn't look like she can kill a fly, much less a vampire."

"Oh, she can. I saw her. Remus, she's amazing! Strong, and she can really fight."

"Were you excited at meeting a Slayer? I know you've been obsessed with them for so long."

"I was surprised that this was her. At first, we didn't even know she was coming. Dumbledore kept it to himself until she got here. Buffy just waltzed through that door in her torn jeans and flip-flops, and immediately I was… smitten, as you would say. Later that night, Dumbledore told us."

"That sly old dog."

"Exactly." The two best friends looked at each other and smiled. "So what have you been up to? How did you meet this Oz fellow? Why did you come back so early?"

"In order, I have been traveling around. I've been hearing news about Voldemort, and relaying it to Albus. I met Oz in Africa. He's also a werewolf. We just kind of… sensed it in each other. We got to talking, and Oz told me that he was in Tibet a few years back, and these monks taught him how to control the beast. Padfoot, during the full moon, he doesn't change. He taught me. I can go out with the full moon shining on me, and I won't change into a were. I feel this… tug at my soul, the beast trying to get out, but I stop it and hold it in."

"That's incredible, Moony. I'm happy for you. Tell me more about Oz."

"He's nice. He doesn't talk much. Hardly about his past. He told me he had great friends back home. I sensed he was uncomfortable talking about them, and he was sad about something. Deeply sad. Something happened a while ago, and he left. He hasn't seen them in a while. Sirius, he know about magic. Wiccan magic, wand magic. He wasn't surprised when I told him I was a wizard. He said he knew a Wicca, and someone more powerful than the magic. I asked him how someone could be more powerful than magic, but he didn't answer. Do you think he was talking about Buffy?"

"I don't know. I haven't heard about a Slayer being so powerful magic can't do anything to her. I'll ask Buffy later. But, what are you doing back so soon?"

"Albus told me to come back for a while."

"And he didn't tell me. He really must like surprises. Anyway, it's so good to see you."

"You too, Padfoot. So, what have you been up to?"

And so Sirius and Remus spent many hours catching up. Remus learned a lot about Buffy Summers and determined to himself that he would get to know her more, and see for himself what a wonderful person she was, and in the process whether or not she was as smitten with Sirius as he was with her.

-----------------------------------------

Buffy and Oz just stared at each other when they were finally alone. At first, she didn't know what to say. Here was a man she had thought dead, and he was sitting in front of her, very much alive and kicking. About three years ago, maybe six or seven months after she was brought back, she and the Scoobies had received a letter from the Oregon authorities in Portland, saying they were very sorry to say that Daniel Osbourne was killed in a car accident, and this was his last known address. He had been buried already. The Scoobs had rushed to Portland, denying it, hoping that there had been a mistake. But it hadn't been. On his grave was a necklace that he had always worn. He was gone. Oz was gone. They had mourned him and missed him.

But here he was, sitting right in front of her. How was that possible?

"How are you here, Oz? What happened?" Buffy asked softly.

Oz sighed, rubbing tired hands over tired eyes. He could ask for the same of her, really. Willow had contacted him four years ago, crying and in pain. Buffy was dead. Their best friend was gone, and she was gone forever. Or so he thought.

"It was part of my… cleansing, I guess you could call it," Oz told her.

"Cleansing?"

"I wasn't fully in control of the beast yet. I was getting there. Then Willow called me. Told me you were dead. And that was all I could think about for months. If only I had stayed in Sunnydale, I could have helped you all. You maybe wouldn't have died, Willow and Tara and everyone else probably wouldn't have gotten so hurt. I felt guilty. And because I couldn't concentrate, the beast was getting in control. The monks helping me out, they told me I need to get the Scoobies out o my mind. I wanted to go back to Sunnydale, but I had to remove the temptation. So I sent the letter and made the grave. I knew that if you guys thought I was dead, then I wouldn't have a reason to go back. And it worked. I'm sorry for lying, and I'm sorry I couldn't be there when you died."

They were silent, staring intently at one another. Finally, Buffy spoke. "It's not our fault, Oz. It was no one's. I did it to save my sister, my family and friends. Nothing could have stopped that demon from cutting Dawn, because we hadn't even though about that possibility." She looked at him and saw he wasn't entirely convinced.

Deciding to say something she hadn't told anyone, she breathed in deeply and began. "When I was up on that platform, I was so scared. Here was my little sister, my blood, and she was bleeding, the world was opening up and demons were spilling out all around me, and all I could think about was how pretty the sky was when the sun started coming up because I knew, deep down, that it would be my last. I felt guilty because I knew that it was all my fault this was happening. If it wasn't for me, the monks wouldn't have made Dawn out of me. If it wasn't for me being the Slayer, the world wouldn't be ending and I wouldn't be about to die.

Then I realized something. Because I was the Slayer, the world was still spinning. Because I was the Slayer people were still alive. And because I was the Slayer, I had to die. And I wasn't scared anymore. I knew it was my time. And when I jumped, I was free, and happy because I knew they were safe and they would always be safe. And I knew it would be okay."

There was a deep sadness between them both. As warriors for the light, the knew about pain and loss and sacrifice. And that night, without words, they comforted each other. By lending their support, they each came to the conclusion that life was going on, and they were allowed to be a part of it, if only for a minute.

-------------------------------

So, what did you think? Sorry this is so late. I know, no excuses. Well, please review. If you have questions, email me at . Thanks.

For the pointless question: Chocolate or Vanilla?


	14. Spooky Houses and Kisses Best Forgotten

Title: Bound by Loyalty

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Harry Potter- Pretty much books 1-4.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Seasons 1-5 and some of season 6.

Pairings: Buffy/Sirius Black, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione

Summary: Buffy gets a letter inviting her to help teach at Hogwarts. Dumbledore tells her about the fight with Voldemort, and she agrees to help protect Harry Potter. While there, she learns things about herself that she never knew, and she finds a way to live. Meanwhile, Sirius Black can't stop thinking about the blonde Slayer that has suddenly invaded his life.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them. Buffy goes to Whedon, and Harry and everybody in the Potter-verse go to Rowling. If you don't recognize anyone, they're probably mine. I do own the plot, though. Don't sue. Please.

Author's Note: So yeah. Long time no see, huh? Hmm… sorry? Well, thanks to **zayra, smurfinator, vixen519, General Mac, The Dragon's Lady (triple time), aeslynn (double time), kitty minky, Jacey925, anne (also double time), Swishy Willow Wand, and IceBlueRose **for updating.

Zayra- Yeah, I love Oz. Not too many stories bring him in and have the Buffy/Oz interaction.

Smurfinator- yeah, Oz is great. Awesome.

Vixen519- Oh, this is a Ginny/Harry fic, but it seems little Ginny has a crush on Snape.

General Mac- another chapter.

The Dragon's Lady- 3 updates! Yay! Everybody uses Moldywart. Could you tell me the name of any Buffy/Sirius stories? I can only find like two. Thanks for the compliment. Okay, you bugged me so much about the B/S action. This chappy is dedicated to you.

Aeslynn- Yeah, thanks. I know what you mean. My clock is fast because I'm always late to school, and I'm usually late to Biology. Evil teacher. She hates me. Thanks for reviewing

Kitty minky- Oooh, the castle has to be huge. Mmm, lots of yummy elves. Yeah, I love chocolate. Goooood.

Jacey925- Yeah, I was being bitchy that day. Thanks for the lovely review.

Anne- vanilla is okay if it has good caramel syrup and yummy dippings.

Swishy Willow Wand- love the name. Yes, Ginny likes Snape. Have you never had a crush on a teacher?

IceBlueRose- thanks a bunch. I love angst stories. Thrive on them. Sometimes I'll say, "I'm gonna write only one chapter", and then I end up writing four. It gets away from me.

Well, I just wanna thank you again for reviewing. And an extra thank you to kitty minky. She's my beta, actually she's more like a co-author because of all the nifty things she added in. So thank you.

Oh, yeah. This is chapter 14 is the same as the other chapter 14, just some things are changed a bit and some things added in. No biggie if you read the other one and don't want to read this one.

------------Chapter Fourteen: Spooky Houses and Kisses Best Forgotten-------------

'Am I in heaven? did I die?

No, the dream as good as it is,

He came over to me and gave me a kiss.'

-Sara "Amazing Dream"

Sept. 25

Four days after Remus and Oz showed up, Buffy went patrolling again. This time she went alone, since she hadn't seen Sirius much in the last few days. She pretended she didn't care, that she didn't feel a little pang whenever she saw him in class. Sighing, she pushed him out of her mind and entered the Forbidden Forest.

Maybe he didn't like her, she mused. Maybe he had a girlfriend already… Maybe he just didn't want on right now… Maybe he thought she was so disgusting, and that she was fat, and she ate too much food, and maybe he hated the way she dressed!

Groaning, Buffy stopped and slapped her head.

"Stop thinking about him! It'll drive you nuts! Think about patrol, vampires, evil things, not Si-" a branch snapped behind her.

Whirling around, she sighed in relief and annoyance.

"What are you doing out here? Students aren't allowed in the Forbidden Forest, plus it's after 11. I should probably bring you back, huh?" Buffy stepped towards the student, and then stopped when she saw the malicious smile on their face. Eyes narrowing, she turned her head, but it was too late. Something banged into the side of her head, and her world grew hazy. The last thing she saw before she passed out was the shoes of the student  
approaching her, then total darkness.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Groan.

Hiss of pain.

Opening her eyes, Buffy quickly shut them, as the glare of the lights was too much for her eyes. Cracking them open into slits, she let her eyes adjust to the unaccustomed brightness before widening them. She did this until she could fully open them without wincing in pain.

Looking around, Buffy's clouded brain wondered where she was and how she got there. Rubbing an aching head, she tried to remember, groping for a memory but coming up blank. Putting her hands on the floor and pushing up, she tried to stand on shaky legs. Giving up, she sat down and took stock of the situation she had somehow gotten herself into.

"Okay, so I am in a strangely barren room. The walls are white, and the floor is wood… and also white," She mused, "Only one door, no window. I'm betting it's locked. There is a chair, wooden and white. Doesn't look very comfortable. There is a single light bulb with a cord hanging from it to turn it off and on. I'm sitting on the floor with no memory of how I got here. I have no weapons, no phone, and I have to pee. All in all; not too bad. Maybe they need to change all the color scheme and put in a bathroom, but hey, beggars can't be choosers."

Frowning and wrinkling her smooth brow, she racked her brain.

"What was I doing before I woke up? Let's see. I was... ah, I was patrolling. Yes. And thinking about... about Sirius! Yes, I was thinking about Sirius, the big jerk. Who does he think he is, ignoring me? 'Cause that's what he's doing, you can count on that. Ignoring me! Oh, you just wait until I get a piece of you Sirius. Nobody ignores Buffy Summers. Oh, sure we're only friends and you don't like me that way, but I'm still pissed. Anyway, that is off the topic. Right now, I need to remember what  
happened…"

"Okay. So I was patrolling and thinking about Sirius, the big jerk, when I heard a noise behind me. I turned around and saw... a student. Yes, it was a student. But which student? It was a girl and- oh. Yeah. Ohhhhh. Huh. I guess that does make sense. Oh, Pansy

Parkinson, you are so dead. Dead, dead, dead," gleefully Buffy clapped her hands in girlish delight.

At that moment, the door opened and in walked old Voldemort himself. Wearing a black cloak with the hood up, Buffy didn't see his face. But she knew it was he.

"Well, hello. If it isn't Mr. Volkenshort himself," Buffy said, deliberately mispronouncing his name.

She knew it would tick him off. Sure enough, she saw him clench gloved hands and heard

his growl. She could practically hear his evil thoughts. Pushing herself to her feet, she forced her legs to hold her up.

_Don't show weakness to an enemy. They thrive on fear, on weakness. Always  
stand straight with pride, with strength_, went through her head.

Straightening her spine, she stood still as Voldemort circled her, not even turning her head as he went behind her. Staring straight ahead, Buffy smirked when Voldemort came into view.

"Buffy Summers. Who are you? I've been hearing some interesting things about you. Very interesting."

Buffy just blinked at him, smirk firmly in place. They stood like that for a few minutes, Voldemort waiting for her to speak, to at least show some fear, and Buffy gazing at him, no emotion showing in her hazel eyes.

"I could offer you so much. Much more than Dumbledore can. I can give you money, a power to rule those beneath you. I can offer you a place in the world where mere muggles will bow down to you, kiss your feet, worship you. All you have to do is take my hand." He held out his hand, palm up.

Buffy stared at it and then at Voldemort.

"Can you offer me honor? Pride? Freedom? When I wake up in the morning, can you guarantee that I won't feel guilty of all the actions that I did? Tell me, can you offer me love? No. There is no room for love in your cold, dark heart. There's no room for any of that. Let me tell you what you can do with your offer. You can shove it up your-" Voldemort slapped her face, hard. Buffy's head turned back to stare at him, unflinchingly.

"You'll regret your decision. Just wait. See what Dumbledore can't give you."

Voldemort swiveled on his heel, storming out the door, seething with rage. Buffy stood her ground, knew it was useless to try and get out. But how was she going to escape?

She sat down to plan…

----------------------------------------- Hogwarts-----------------------------------------

Buffy's absence wasn't really noticed until halfway through the first class on Friday. She wasn't at breakfast, which wasn't too unusual since she usually woke up late. For the first half of DADA, Sirius wondered where she was, but shrugged it off, figuring she had just slept in. She never missed a class, so she would probably be there soon. But she didn't show up. Sirius wasn't too worried, just a little mad. He told his class to behave and stay in the room, and he would be right back.

He had quickly strode to the statue in front of Buffy's room and had knocked. When she didn't answer, he said the password, _"Chocolate kisses," _and entered. Calling out to her, he wandered through her room, but there was no sign of her about. That's when he got worried.

__

Maybe she's in the Forbidden Forest, hurt and bleeding. She's all alone and scared, and I'm not there with her. Oh God. What if she's dead? He thought.

"Okay, maybe I'm overreacting." He said, trying to calm himself down.

So now here he was, rushing to Professor Dumbledore's office. Not even bothering to knock, he said the password and ran up the stairs, throwing the door open and startling the headmaster, who was feeding Fawkes, the phoenix.

"Sirius, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Buffy's missing!" He blurted out, urgency weighing in his words. Dumbledore frowned-

"Missing? Are you sure?"

"Yes. No. Maybe. She didn't show up to class and she's not in her room. I can't find her. What if she's hurt in the Forbidden Forest?. Or maybe she was captured! Or maybe-"

"-she's right behind you," Buffy's voice came from the doorway.

Whipping around, Sirius breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're okay. Where were you?"

"I slept in. When I woke up, I realized how late it was. But I wanted breakfast. So I went down to get an orange. I saw you rushing in here and I came to see what the problem was."

Feeling foolish, Sirius smiled weakly and said, "Oh."

"Well, I'm gong to get to class and teach the rest of the brats. See you later Bl- Sirius. Good bye Professor Dumbledore." And with that, she turned and walked, no stomped, down the stairs.

Eyes narrowed, Albus watched Buffy go. There was something odd about her, but he couldn't figure it out. Something was off. Different. He sighed. _No matter. _It would come back to him.

Sirius also noticed something wrong with Buffy. She was acting differently. She wasn't being sarcastic and funny, but serious. And she had called the children brats. She had never done that before. She loved all of them, except for the ones she knew were evil.

And something she said, something she did, nagged at the back of his mind. He mentally shrugged. He would figure it out later. Right now, he wanted to get back to class.

Saying goodbye to Albus absently and walking out, lost in his own thoughts, he didn't notice the thoughtful frown on the Headmaster's face.

---------------------------------DADA class------------------------------------------

There was something going on. Draco knew it. He could feel it. Professor Summers was acting very strange. Her jokes were falling short, none of them what she usually said, what Draco expected her to say. And the way she was teaching left a lot to be desired. Summers was just sitting on the desk. Granted, that's what she always did. But she would also slightly swing her legs, lightly tapping the desk while she taught. Now, it seemed forced. Her tone was slightly louder, and more exaggerated. And she wasn't teaching….well, not properly, anyway.

The students were reading in their text book. She hardly ever made them read, saying she wasn't much of a reader herself. She liked to talk and demonstrate. The students were mostly sending their Defense professor weird looks instead of reading. This was also strange, because if Summers ever got weird looks, she usually said something about it that made everyone look away. By now she would be cracking jokes.

But she just sat there. Even Black was sending her looks. Usually, Summers would have said something funny about Blacks' hair or what he was wearing. And she would send him funny faces when he wasn't looking. But still she just sat there. Something was going on, and Draco was going to figure it out.

Strangely, perhaps even coincidentally, Pansy Parkinson wasn't in class that day, either.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Buffy was patiently waiting. Usually being patient wasn't Buffy's strong suit. But she had learned that sometimes, patience was all that you had. So she waited for her chance to come, and she was soon rewarded with that chance. The door in the startling white room (which would have made more sense if it was all black, seeing as how the people who had put her in there were so _obviously_ evil) was thrown open and two figure in black capes obscuring their faces entered. They grabbed Buffy by the arm and started to drag her out.

Buffy figured they obviously didn't know she was the Slayer because Voldemort had only sent two of them. She decided not to fight, and to instead went quietly, as the innocent, docile girl they wanted her to be. She would wait for the opportunity to escape. Sagging in her captors arms, she hung her head down to hide her smile when her weight made them stagger for a moment and she heard them growl.

"Get up and walk!" One said to her, going for the Big, Mean and Menacing approach.

Pretending to be frightened, she nodded and walked for herself. Buffy could feel their disgusting hands on her arms. She was a woman of action. She didn't like to sit idly by and let people handle her like she was a sack of potatoes.

"Wait, Buffy, just wait" she cautioned herself. "They'll slip up, I know they will. They always do…"

Sure enough, the moment came as Buffy thought it would. They took a shortcut, which involved going outside of the house Buffy had been in. It was old and abandoned looking. It looked like the kind of house that needed a lot of TLC to become a home. But years of neglect had turned the beautiful wood porch sagging, the paint peeling, and the dust thick.

The lawns were spacious, but covered in weeds and bushes. There was a big, rambling oak tree that had turned wild. All in all, it had a sense of anger, loss and loneliness. The house was lonely. It knew its inhabitants wouldn't stay long and while they were there, nothing would be worked on. It seemed to be crying. Once, this place had been a home, but now it was just an old, decrepit house.

Shaking her head, Buffy cleared away thoughts of crying houses and deep loss; she needed to concentrate if she was going to get herself out of this. Not that she couldn't take on these ugly dudes with her arms tied around her back, it was just a matter of finding the best way to whomp their asses without them even realizing until she was gone.

__

Hehe, this should be fun…

One of the men tugged at her arm and led her around the house. It appeared to be the front. A few yards away there was a large shed. It looked new, and an evil aura radiated from it. The house had a deep hatred for the shed. Buffy could feel it.

Down a driveway, Buffy could see a bend in the road. She knew if she was to escape, it would be down that road. Stopping abruptly, and making her captors come to a stop, she shook them off.

"Now, don't try anything, little girl. Don't make us-" The man stopped and howled in pain when Buffy punched his face. Spinning to the second one, she drop kicked him and jumped over his prone form, running down the road. Ignoring the shouts behind her, she put on a burst of speed and she soon turned and followed the bend.

Buffy didn't know how long she ran before she suddenly found herself in the Forbidden Forest, right where she had last been. Frowning in confusion, she turned and looked back from where she came.

__

That doesn't look right, she thought. That wasn't where she came from.

__

Where was the road? Walking back and hoping she would pass through some portal or something, she was disappointed when nothing happened.

Sighing in frustration, she decided to head back to the Hogwarts Castle and talk to Professor Dumbledore. Maybe he would have some answers. Eyes narrowed, she smiled grimly. She also had to have a chat with a certain Slytherin named Pansy Parkinson.

------------------------------------------------Great Hall: Dinnertime-----------------------------------------

By now the whole school knew something was going on with Buffy Summers. She wasn't cracking as many jokes as she usually did, and when she did make a joke, it wasn't funny. It wasn't even a lame-ass, groan-worthy joke. And she wasn't eating. Summers usually ate. A lot.  
At dinnertime, you could look at her and see her shoveling the food and desserts with gusto. But today she wasn't eating a lot.

She and Professor Black were usually talking animatedly about something, or she was talking to Snape and he was unsuccessfully trying to ignore her. But that night, she was barely eating, talking, or making jokes. Even Snape noticed something was wrong. The Great Hall was strangely subdued. Everyone could tell something was up.

Sirius was worried. There was something niggling at the back of his mind that wouldn't show itself. Something Buffy had said and done when he had seen her earlier. He went over everything she said when they met up.

"I slept in," she had said. That wasn't unusual. She slept a lot.

"I wanted breakfast." No surprise there. She ate almost as much as him, if not more.

"I went down to get an orange." Fruit. She wanted fruit for breakfast. Also not too unusual, it just didn't happen very often. But there was something in that statement. Something… wait, she  
wanted an orange. An orange!

"That's it!" Sirius exclaimed, and then clamped a hand over his mouth when several people turned to look at him, Harry included.

"What is it?" Buffy asked him.

"Hmmm? Oh, just the name of something I've been trying to figure out." He said, vaguely, then turned to her suddenly, as if hit with inspiration, "So, how's Stanley?" he asked.

"Stanley? Oh, Stanley. Yes, he's fine." She gave him a smile and he returned it.

"And his hip?"

"Still bothering him."

"Sorry to hear. If you will excuse me a moment, Elizabeth, I need to talk to Albus."

"Oh, sure," Buffy smiled at him and turned back to her food.

Sirius hurried Albus and told him he needed to talk to him in private. Stepping to the side, Sirius explained.

"Buffy's not Buffy," he announced to the Headmaster.

"Pardon me?"

"That isn't Buffy at the staff table," Sirius explained.

Albus narrowed his eyes and stared at her thoughtfully. "Yes, there is something… you have proof, I trust?"

"Remember what she said this morning? She said she slept in and then went to get breakfast. An orange!" He exclaimed, as if that explained everything, which to him it did.

"I don't quite follow..." the headmaster looked at Sirius, curiously.

"Buffy hates oranges. She said so herself. She said she didn't like the peel or the juice, and she much preferred apples!"

"Ah, I see. I trust you also noticed her walk this morning. It was… wrong."

"That's it! She stomped down the stairs. Buffy doesn't stomp unless she's mad. She wasn't mad. Usually, she just, I don't know, glides gracefully. And I just asked her about Stanley."

"Who's Stanley?"

"No clue. I bet there is no Stanley. I asked her how his hip was, and she said it was acting up again. And I just called her Elizabeth, and she didn't say anything. I'm telling you, that is not our Buffy!"

"I agree. What do we do about it without endangering the students or having them find out?"

"We can pretend everything is normal, and get her when she goes to bed," Sirius suggested, with an air of having thought this through already.

"Excellent idea."

"Oh, wait, there's one problem."

"What?"

"She's gone," Sirius announce, nodding towards the staff table.

Dumbledore whirled to look at where the impostor-Buffy was sitting. She was gone.

"I think that the next time we see her, we grab her, no matter who is around," he decided, sighing.

"Okay."

What they didn't expect was that they would see her so soon. At that moment, the doors opened and in walked the impostor-Buffy. Taking out his wand, Dumbledore flicked his wrist and the doors slammed shut behind the impostor-Buffy. Impostor-Buffy looked around in confusion.  
In a flash, Sirius ran up to her and grabbed her arms.

"Who are you?"

Impostor-Buffy glared at him.

"Sirius Black, let go of me this instant!"

"Not until you tell me who you are and what you did to the real Buffy."

"Sirius, have you gone blind? I am Buffy, you crazy freak!" she said. Sirius still wasn't buying it.

"Tell me, who's Stanley?" he growled.

"Stanley? How the hell should I know? Sirius, if you don't let go of me this instant, so help me God-"

"I think it's the real Buffy," Albus interrupted.

"How can you be so sure?" Sirius asked, not letting go of her.

"Sirius, you numbskull. If you do not take your grubby fingers off of me, I swear I will gladly break everyone of them. You won't live to regret this!"

"It's her all right," he announced, letting her go. He gave her a weak smile, "Sorry."

"That's alright. Who else would I be? What exactly has been going on here?" Buffy demanded, looking around.

As if realizing where they were, Albus held up a hand and told the astonished and riveted students, "Bed time. As you can see, there is an impostor Professor Summers in Hogwarts, so stay away from anyone  
that looks like her. Goodnight."

There were various groans heard, but the students got up and left to their dorms.

The teachers all adjourned to the staff room. When they were all  
comfortable, Buffy scanned the room and realized Oz wasn't there.  
"Where's Oz?" She asked, worried.

"He sent a letter earlier. He wanted to stay at Hogsmead another day," Sirius explained.

"Oh. So, what had been going on?"

"First, what happened to you?" Albus asked.

"Pansy Parkinson happened," Buffy smiled wryly. "It's not everyday I get outsmarted by a girl almost ten years younger than me. I expect her to be gone by now. I can guess that she pretended to be me." Albus and Sirius nodded.

Several Professors got "Aha" looks on their faces when they figured out why Buffy was acting so strange.

Buffy gave the Hogwarts staff a wink, "she must have had a ball, I mean, being as pretty as me, even for that short a time, must be a totally new thing for her…" everyone rolled their eyes, and a few of the staff suppressed a giggle.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Maybe you'd like to recount your adventure for us, Miss Summers."

Starting from the other night, Buffy explained everything that had happened to her, and then Sirius explained about the impostor.

"Well, I can't say I like having someone pretend to be me, but it wouldn't be the first time," she said. She got curious looks for that. Yawning, she wished for a warm bath and comfy bed. Dumbledore ended the meeting, taking pity on the young Slayer.

"Sirius, will you please guide Buffy to her room?"

"Yeah, sure."

----

The silence on the way to Buffy's room was only a little awkward. Finally, Sirius spoke.

"Are my fingers really grubby?" He asked.

Buffy laughed in delight. Sirius was stunned. That was the first time he had really heard her laugh. It was beautiful. The corners of her eyes crinkled and her eyes danced with humor. Her whole face seemed to light up. And all Sirius could think about was kissing her.

So he did.

Grabbing her upper arms, he tugged her to him, bringing his lips down to her surprised lips. Her lips were soft and silky. So was her skin. All that went through his head was how warm she was. She tasted like mint and chocolate. There was a fragrance, too. Vanilla. Deepening the kiss, he felt Buffy relax against him and respond with equal passion. Sliding his hands into her glorious hair, he was lost.

Buffy moaned softly, bringing her arms up around Sirius' neck and toying with the hair at his collar. Oh, God! He was so warm, his body hard as she pressed against him. He tasted so good.

Opening her mouth, she felt him slip his tongue into hers, felt him probe. As someone who had been in Heaven, she knew bliss. And this felt pretty close to it. It had been so long. Too long. Angel had been cold. Sirius was warm, burning. He kissed her with passion, not holding anything back. He tightened his hold on her hair, bringing her closer. Then he slipped one hand out of her hair and put his arm around her waist, hugging her to him. Angel hadn't been warm. Not this warm. And he always held back. So did Riley. They both had treated her like she would shatter.

But not Sirius. Oh, not Sirius. He kissed her like he expected to be kissed back. Hard, but oh so gentle. Her knees felt weak. All she could think was how it was good he was holding her up.

She was so soft. She fit against him like he expected her to. Perfect. She was what he thought she would be when he kissed her. She was passion, fire, longing. She was Heaven.

After what seemed like hours, they broke apart, breathing heavily. Buffy pressed her fingers to her tender lips, staring at Sirius. He ran his fingers through his hair. He couldn't think of what to say.

Buffy solved it for him.

"I- I need to go. To- to my bed place. My room thing. Over there. Yeah. No. Yeah, over there. Well, thank you. For the kiss. I mean, um, walking me back and kissing me. No, wait. I just… good night."  
She bolted in her room, leaving a befuddled Sirius behind. When the door closed, she leaned against it and sank to the floor. Putting her fingers once again on her lips, she smiled. Then groaned. Thank you??

------------------------------------------

Thank you?? Thank you for kissing me? The poor girl was probably confused. Hell, so was he. Sirius smiled. Laughed. Then did what he had been waiting to do when he was in the privacy of his own room. He jumped up and shot his hand in the air.

"Yes!" He shouted.

Realizing how adolescent he sounded, he looked around before whispering, "Yes!" He had finally kissed her, and it was much more that he expected. But how was he going to do it again? Buffy had obviously enjoyed it, but he had a feeling she wasn't looking for people to kiss just then. She would probably be on her guard.

Sirius smiled. He had always enjoyed a good challenge. And the reward was nothing to complain about. No, not at all…

--------------------------------------

Okay, here it is folks. Pointless question: Cats or dogs?


	15. Rose Leaves and Fair Ladies

Title: Bound by Loyalty

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Harry Potter- Pretty much books 1-4.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Seasons 1-5 and some of season 6.

Pairings: Buffy/Sirius Black, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione

Summary: Buffy gets a letter inviting her to help teach at Hogwarts. Dumbledore tells her about the fight with Voldemort, and she agrees to help protect Harry Potter. While there, she learns things about herself that she never knew, and she finds a way to live. Meanwhile, Sirius Black can't stop thinking about the blonde Slayer that has suddenly invaded his life.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them. Buffy goes to Whedon, and Harry and everybody in the Potter-verse go to Rowling. If you don't recognize anyone, they're probably mine. I do own the plot, though. Don't sue. Please.

Authors Notes: I promised myself I would not be the kind of author that took forever to update, and it's been… wow, a long time. I am so sorry. My computer deleted all my files, so we decided to get a new computer. Hopefully, this will not happen again. Again, sorry about that.

Thanks to **Siren's Call, Sammi, The Dragon's Lady, mysticallove, vampy the chosen one, Siri and Remy, Ice Blue Rose, Just Me, Silver Warrior, kitty minky, Monkey, Zayra, and Renna** for being lovely people and reviewing. Yay!

Siren's Call- Oh yeah. I'm probably going to do something with Sirius as a dog. Thanks.

The Dragon's Lady- I'm single also. I really liked writing that part. It was kinda hard, because then I'm like "That lucky bitch. No one kisses me like that." No, I have not lost my taste in Buffy/Sirius fics, I'm not lost or dead, so put down that bat! I really enjoyed Phoenix Child, and it totally sucked that she never got to finish it. She was such an awesome, truly amazing, unmatched author. And to leave off at a point where they are just about to see Buffy and find out who she really is! Anyway, thanks for reviewing. You're just great.

Mysticallove- Ginny does have a crush on Snape, but this story will be a Ginny/Harry. There will be more action later on. Believe me, a lot more action. Thank you for reviewing.

Vampy the chosen one- I hate it when I find a story I love, only to lose it. That's happened. I'm glad you found me again. Oz was one of my favorites, and I hated it when he left. I love Buffy/Legolas stories, and I love Buffy/Sirius stories. Pretty much Buffy/anything other than Xander and Spike.

Siri and Remy- It'll take awhile, because they have got thick heads.

Ice Blue Rose- Thanks. I loved writing that chapter. It was so fun. Finally, Buffy has met Voldemort.

Just Me- Well, Voldemort doesn't know that she isn't a witch. He doesn't know all the witches in the world. He does know she is American, and he hasn't expanded to the U.S. yet. I believe Buffy would have a little magic in her because of her Slayer side. The Slayer in her is from magical/demon beginnings.

Silver Warrior- Yeah, I've read too many Buffy/Harry stories. I like them, but there's too many out there. Harry/Ginny is good. I like cats too. Last night, I just got a little kitten. She's a girl. We named her Lola. She's part Tabby, part Calico.

Kitty minky- Mmm… Elvish slaves. Mmm… chocolate. Mmm…Elvish slaves with chocolate.

Zayra- Oh, there will be a lot of angst in this story. I love angst. I have a dog. He's a Chihuahua/Terrier mix. His name is Butch. I love him bunches.

Renna- Thank you. Sirius will be looking for ways to grab her and kiss her more.

………………………Chapter 15: Roses for the Lady………………………..

Rose leaves, when the rose is dead,

Are heaped for the beloved's bed;

And so thy thoughts, when thou art gone,

Love itself shall slumber on.

Percy Shelley

(Saturday, Oct. 3)

More than a week had passed since The Kiss. Not an hour went by when Buffy didn't think about it. She would often get distracted in the middle of doing something. Annoyed with herself, she would think about why she couldn't kiss Sirius again. She was only going to be in Europe until the end of school in June, her home was in California; she wasn't looking for a boyfriend… On the list went. But try as she might, all she thought about was The Kiss.

Buffy had been avoiding Sirius. She knew it, and she knew he knew it. In class, she would talk to him, but as soon as the day was done with, she would rush off before he said anything. If she saw him walking down the hall, she would turn and run before he noticed her. One time, she had even jumped behind a dusty knight and assumed its pose so he wouldn't see her. When Sirius walked by, he didn't even glance over.

She knew it was childish, but what if he kissed her again? What if she couldn't resist him? Buffy also knew that The Kiss was just the tip of the ice burg. Under it was passion. So much passion just burning to release itself, and if it did, it would engulf them both. And there was no going back. Buffy didn't like that thought. She simply wasn't ready. So that passion, that electricity, would just have to wait.

Just as she would.

……………….…………….….

Ginny was in love with Professor Snape. She thought it was just some type of fascination; maybe it was just a schoolgirl crush. He was tall, dark and mysterious. He was a tad rude, but Ginny thought that added to his mysteriousness._ Or was that mystery? Mysteryness? Never mind,_ she thought._ It added._ Whenever he shot his glares at her, she shivered in delight. Who could resist him?

She was very careful not to let Ron know about her crush. He would go bonkers, for sure. Ginny loved her brother, but sometimes he was so close-minded and blind. Just look at how he was with Hermione. Oh, she knew he was in love with her. Who didn't? It was so blatantly obvious. And they knew that Hermione felt the same. That girl was smart, but she wasn't very good at hiding her emotions.

Ginny was, though. Whenever she saw Severus Snape, she wanted to scream out to the whole of Hogwarts that they belonged together. But she knew the time wasn't right. Soon, though. Soon she would…

She was cut off from her thoughts when she bumped into someone heading to the Gryffindor Common Room. Dropping her book, she muttered "Sorry," and bent down to grab it. Her hand collided with the person's hand, and she glanced up into green, green, green eyes. So beautiful. And that's when she remembered when she used to have a crush on him.

Severus Snape? Snape who? The only other person on that planet was Harry Potter._ Hello, Mr. Potter,_ she thought, smiling.

…………………………………..

(Wednesday, Oct. 7)

Harry had a revelation three days ago. It was when he bumped into Ginny Weasley. He had noticed her pretty hair. How her eyes were like chocolate, and how cute her freckles were. But he had mentally slapped himself because she was Ron's sister, for God's sake. Now he couldn't get her out of his mind.

What was wrong with him? He had known her for five years. Never once had he thought about her as anybody other than a friend. But things change. Harry knew that. After all, hadn't his own life changed in a matter of moments?

Sighing, he pushed Ginny Weasley out of his mind and focused on other things. Like the upcoming Quidditch match against Ravenclaw; the first of the season. There really was no competition, though. Harry wasn't trying to be cocky or anything, but he, and at least everyone else in the school, knew Ravenclaw wasn't a match against Gryffindor.

Taking off his glasses, he rubbed his eyes and lay back on his bed. Across the room, he could hear Ron snoring. Turning on his side, he wondered if Buffy was out Slaying. Harry had met her friend, Oz, and he liked him. He reminded him of Lupin, actually. Quiet and contemplative, knowledge beyond their years. Like Buffy. She had knowledge, and not just in the smarts department. Buffy was _wise_. She saw things other people didn't. She knew more that most people do.

Harry really liked Buffy. She was nice and pretty. She treated him like he was normal. Like he could take care of himself and he didn't need watching 24/7. She was only 10 years older than him, but sometimes she acted his age. He couldn't wait to show her Hogsmead. They were going on Saturday, the tenth. Harry wanted to bring her to Honeydukes. Buffy liked chocolate. He knew this because she always had a candy bar in her desk, and after dinner she had a big slice of chocolate cake. He wondered why she wasn't fat or have any cavities. _Something to do with being a Slayer, most likely_, he thought.

Falling asleep, Harry smiled, content.

…………………………

(Saturday, Oct. 10)

Sooner or later, it was bound to happen. Buffy couldn't hide forever. She would try, but it most likely wouldn't work. So it came as no great surprise when Sirius finally caught up with her. Last she had seen him, he was in the Great Hall. She had thought she was safe enough to go outside and watch the students in their excitement to go to Hogsmeade.

Buffy had let her guard down, and she mentally cursed herself and Sirius when he popped up next to her. Too late to pretend she was just about to leave, she stood her ground. Slayers don't run away! she told herself sternly. But Sirius didn't say anything. Frowning, she casually glanced over at him, then quickly looked away when she saw him contemplating her. There was a puzzled look on his face. Like he was trying to figure her out.

They stood like that for a few minutes; Buffy standing stiff and looking straight ahead, and Sirius gazing at her quizzically, as if she was an enigma, a complicated riddle with no one answer. Finally, he sighed in annoyance and grabbed her elbow. Guiding her to a place more private, he stopped and let go.

He expected anger, irritation, or at least some amusement that she would most likely find in the situation, but it was as if her emotions just shut off. Her face was blank, her eyes…cool. They were more blue than green now. Buffy's eyes did that. They changed color with her mood. If she was in a certain mood, the blue would be more dominant, or the green, or grown. Sirius hadn't yet figured out which mood each color was.

And with her eyes that icy blue, he had no idea how to broach the subject. So he just jumped in.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" Still no emotion surfaced. Buffy only looked at him.

"I'm not," she finally said.

"Do you call jumping behind a knight and assuming its position not avoiding me?" She flushed.

"Yeah, I saw that. What about the time you hid behind Snape when you saw me coming? If that isn't avoiding me I don't know what is."

"If you saw me those times, why didn't you do anything?"

"Because I'm not going to push you, Buffy. Look, if you don't want to talk to me, fine. But don't go and hide from me and avoid me like I'm some kind of vampire with a plague," he paused. A little of that emotion was coming back. Buffy's eyes were going a little more green and she looked angry. Note to self, he thought, green equals angry. "Is this because I kissed you?"

Now her eyes got a spark. It was an angry spark, but it was something. "No Sirius. Do I have to have a reason to avoid you, if I was avoiding you in the first place? Which I'm not. Avoiding you, that is. And that kiss. Pfft. It was just a kiss. A mere touching of mouths and maybe a little touching of tongues, but that's all."

"That's all, huh? Nope, I don't think so."

"Sirius-"

"You liked it. And so did I, I'm not ashamed of admitting it. I'm going to kiss you again. Maybe not right now, but soon. You know what? I'm going to do it all. Oh, Buffy Summers, you don't know what hit you." He turned around and left a confused Buffy behind. He had plans.

The courtship began.

……………..……………….

Voldemort was very angry. He was so angry he wanted to scream bloody murder and then blast the whole house to smithereens. Buffy Summers was not supposed to escape. She was supposed to turn to his side. How had she escaped, anyway? Those bumbling idiots only told him that she had punched them and ran off. Seems she had hit the one way portal.

Summers was a little woman. How could she bring down two men stronger and taller than her? Who was she? No matter. He would figure it out soon. Voldemort had plans for Halloween. And were they going to work the way he wanted them to? They better or someone was dead. Well, someone was dead even if they did work.

Now, though, it was time for him to rest. After all, when you're taking over the world, you needed all the sleep you could get.

That night, sleep did no come easy. Lord Voldemort dreamt of his childhood. It was not a fun childhood. This night, one memory replayed over and over again.

He had been a boy, once. One with dreams and aspirations. But that ended the day he got his letter to Hogwarts and his muggle father found out that his dead wife had been a witch. Even before that day when he was eleven, Tom and his father had not gotten along. But after that letter, it was worse. Much worse.

Voldemorts father would hit him over the summer. Said his son was a freak and the only reason he allowed him to go to Hogwarts was to get rid of him. After his second year, Tom was never the same again. He hated his father. Despised him. Promised himself that soon, soon he would destroy the muggles. Starting with his father.

The day he had killed his father was the turning point. No return. And it felt good, killing him. Being in power.

He would not be helpless again. Never again. Never would he be that scared, blood-soaked little boy with emotional scars and a lifetime of baggage. Voldemort had power. He was strong, and soon the world would see that. Starting now with the Potter brat.

………………………………

Buffy was a mass of confusion. What was Sirius going to do? Oh, God. This was all too much. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? Sitting in the carriage that had these freaky horses carrying it (Harry had called them Thestrals. Seems people who had seen death are the only ones who could see them. Buffy had just snorted, figuring that of course she would be able to see them. Wasn't death her gift?), Buffy leaned back with a sigh, glad that she was in a carriage with Snape and McGonagall. She couldn't deal with an hour or Sirius.

At least Snape wasn't trying to kiss her. Laughing aloud at the thought of Snape wanting to kiss her, she stopped when he and McGonagall gave her a funny look. Smiling sheepishly, she looked out the small window and watched the trees fly by. There was a thin mist winding through the trunks, and snow powdered branches. Snow! In October! Granted, it was only a little bit, but it was still snow.

Soon, they reached Hogsmeade and stepped out of the carriage. Minerva bid them an absent goodbye and left Buffy and Snape alone. Looking around at the little village and the students rushing to the stores, Buffy felt slightly lonely. She saw Harry walk off with Hermione and Ron. It wasn't like she could run to them and ask if she could go with them. They were teenagers, and they needed tome to forget who they were.

Buffy didn't want to find Sirius. It would be so awkward. Sighing softly, she turned to Snape and noticed a weird expression on his face. It was like he was sad. But about what? His face became an emotionless mask when he saw her watching him. Nodding his head, he swiveled around and was about to leave when Buffy stopped him.

"Wait. Can I…" she stopped, feeling foolish. Her face flushed when he raised a brow. "Can I come with you?" She asked. Still Snape only stared at her, looking a little surprised. Buffy continued, "I mean, I don't know my way around, and I was wondering if you could, you know, show me. If you have things to do, maybe you could just take me along."

There was silence. Finally, he spoke. "Don't you have someone else to show you around? Black, maybe? Or the Potter kid? I have more important things to do than to show you around." Snape saw her face fall and felt an unwanted pang of guilt.

"Oh. Okay, then. Bye," Buffy said, turning around and mentally counting to three. When she got to three, she heard Snape sigh.

"Summers, wait." She smiled before she turned around, pretending to be sad. "If you want to come with me, you're going to have to put up with my rudeness."

"Thank you, Severus."

"Follow me," he ordered.

Smiling brightly, she jogged to his side and grinned up at him. "Can we get candy? I heard there was a great chocolate shop here. And a place to get these drinks called Butterbeer. Do they have any alcohol in them? 'Cause let me tell you, alcohol and Buffy do not mix. Believe me. Beer bad. So unless you wanna see cave-Buffy, I have to stay away from the alcohol. So, where are we going? Can we see the…"

Snape mentally slapped himself as Summers prattled on. It would be a long day.

……………………………………...

Smiling to himself as the girl wrapped up the assortment of chocolates he had bought in pretty paper, Sirius glanced around the small shop. Seeing a red rose that could be eaten, he grabbed that and added it to his purchases.

"So, who are these for?" The clerk asked him. She hoped he wasn't getting them for a girlfriend. He was very handsome.

"For a very special woman. I'm trying to convince her that I'm not a bad investment," he winked at her, the charming side of Sirius coming out.

She giggled. "Well, she's a very lucky girl and also blind if she doesn't fall into your arms the minutes she gets these."

"You wanna tell her that?" Sirius asked wryly. Thanking her, he grabbed the package and the rose, then left. _Now to find Buffy._

………………………………….

At that moment, Buffy was watching the Shrieking Shack. Head cocked, she had her hands on her hips. Snape stood by, an amused and curious look on his face. He couldn't quite figure out what she was doing. When they had gotten here, Summers had stopped, looked at the old house, held up a hand, and assumed the pose she had now. That was five minutes ago.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore, so he spoke. "What are you doing?" He asked, breaking her concentration.

Buffy looked at him, startled, then smiled sheepishly. "Checking to see if it's evil."

He chuckled and shook his head. "It's just a rumor. In fact, your very own Black and Lupin used to hang out in there with their friends."

Laughing, Buffy shook her head. "Let me guess. They're the ones that made the story up that it's haunted?"

He nodded. "They made noises. Howling and moaning. A lot of students would run back to the village, screaming."

Giggling, she looked at the shack. That's when Sirius showed up. Her laughter abruptly cut off.

Snape, following Buffy's gaze, lifted an eyebrow at the form of Black, trudging up the hill to them. Both brows went up when he saw what was in his hand. A box, wrapped in paper with blue, green and brown swirls on it, and a rose in his hand. Glancing at Summers, he saw her wide eyes as she looked around. It seemed like she was about to take off running. But, oh, too late. Black had noticed her, and his face practically split from his dorky grin. Snape sighed. Stepping back, he got ready to watch the fun.

Buffy panicked. _Oh God._ _What do I do?_ She asked herself anxiously. _I can't run, it's too late for that. Just keep cool. Snape's here. Sirius won't do anything in front of him, will he? Oh God._ By this time, Sirius had arrived.

Stopping in front of her, he grinned down at Buffy. Giving a little bow, he handed her the rose with a flourish. "Milady," he said. Snape snorted softly. Sirius glared at him before returning his attention to Buffy.

"Uh, thanks, Sirius. It's, um, pretty," she said, giving him a small, uncertain smile.

"And edible. Chocolate."

"Really? Looks delicious." She was nervous. The rose was clutched tightly in her hand and Buffy mentally told herself to release her death grip on it. "It looks too pretty to eat." Bringing it to her nose, she sniffed and grinned. "Smells good, too."

Sirius smiled, pleased. _One point for me,_ he thought. Remembering the package he held in his hand, he extended it to Buffy and said, "A present for you."

Wary, Buffy reached out and grabbed the gift. Looking up, she said to Sirius, "Thank you. But what are they for?"

"No reason. Enjoy," he tipped his head and turned, then added as an after thought, "Snape."

"Black."

Sirius walked away, cheerfully whistling. Buffy just stared after him, confusion evident on her pretty face. Snape shook his head.

Blinking, Buffy tore her gaze away from the shrinking form of Sirius. She looked at the package she held in her hand and absently held out the rose to Snape to hold. He looked at her like she was nuts, then sighed in annoyance and took the flower, holding it by the tips of his fingers.

"Thanks," she muttered before carefully opening the package. Inside was an assortment of chocolates. Buffy smiled and licked her lips. Opening it up, she took one out and bit into it. "Mmm... These are good. Want one?" She asked Snape, extending the box to him.

He stared at her in surprise. "Well... I guess just one." Snape took one out and put the whole thing in his mouth. Buffy raised her eyebrow at that.

"I guess you're not trying to keep your girlish figure, huh?" Snape snorted in laughter, then abruptly stopped when he realized what he was doing. "It's okay. I won't tell anyone that you, God forbid, had fun," Buffy assured him.

Snape rolled his eyes, then rubbed his arm when Buffy playfully punched him. "Where to next?" He asked.

"I don't know. You're the resident expert." Snape motioned to Buffy to follow him and she trailed after. "So, where are we going?"

"Back to the town," he replied. Suddenly he stopped. He had forgotten that he still held the rose. Eyes widening, he thrust it at Buffy like it was burning him.

Giggling, Buffy took it and glanced at his retreating back. Sobering, she followed at her own pace. She still felt emotions coming off from him. Anguish, hatred, self-disgust. For a while today, it wasn't that bad. When they were hanging out, she felt him loosen up. Maybe she could get him to have more fun. After all, back in Sunnydale, she used to be the fun gal. the one who made everybody take a break from work. Ooh, maybe she should take him patrolling with her.

Smiling, she brushed the rose petals across her cheek and her thoughts shifted to Sirius. Sirius smiling. Sirius laughing. Sirius kissing her..._No! Bad Buffy! Bad!_ Growling in frustration, she trotted to catch up with Severus.

…………………………….

Draco watched his Potions professor walking with Summers in curiosity. To Draco, Snape was a hero. He know about his past. Snape was a hero because he had been evil, but he had pulled himself away from that and changed sides. He had done things, bad things, but the reason for him to keep living is to redeem himself. Draco saw. A lot of people underestimated him, but he saw things. He observed.

Just like he knew that Potter wasn't as happy as everyone assumed. Draco saw the sad look on his face when his friends weren't paying attention. If Draco wasn't seen as such a jack-ass Slytherin, he might have done something. Like talked to Potter about how his own life wasn't sunshine and daisies. But since he was seen as a jack-ass Slytherin, he didn't do anything. After all, he had a reputation. The Malfoy's had a reputation. And if he didn't uphold that reputation, well... let's just say it wouldn't be pretty. No, not at all.

…………………………….

Harry cursed himself for forgetting to show Buffy around. He was just so excited to get away from it all and have fun, it had just slipped his mind. He, Ron and Hermione had gone everywhere. They went to Zonks, Ron's twin brother's Fred and George's joke and trick shop, and onward from there. It wasn't until they hot to Honeyduke's that he remembered. Now he felt bad. He should go find her and apologize, then offer to... bloody hell.

"Bloody hell," Ron muttered, voiced Harry's thoughts. Hermione was too surprised to reprimand him. "What is _she_ doing with _him_?" He asked.

He was, of course, talking about Snape and Buffy, who were walking together. Buffy was laughing, and Snape didn't look as menacing as he usually did. In fact, he looked like he was... smiling? Or at least not as frowny as usual. Strange. Very strange.

…………………………….

Once again, so sorry about this being so freakin' late. Thanks for reading.

Pointless question: If you could choose what color of eyes your significant other would have, what would it be?


	16. Can't Fear

Title: Bound by Loyalty

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Harry Potter- Pretty much books 1-4.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Seasons 1-5 and some of season 6.

Pairings: Buffy/Sirius Black, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione

Summary: Buffy gets a letter inviting her to help teach at Hogwarts. Dumbledore tells her about the fight with Voldemort, and she agrees to help protect Harry Potter. While there, she learns things about herself that she never knew, and she finds a way to live. Meanwhile, Sirius Black can't stop thinking about the blonde Slayer that has suddenly invaded his life.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them. Buffy goes to Whedon, and Harry and everybody in the Potter-verse go to Rowling. If you don't recognize anyone, they're probably mine. I do own the plot, though. Don't sue. Please.

Author's note: I kind of changed things in the Harry Potter universe. Did you see the pairings? If you did, you will notice that Buffy and Sirius Black will be a couple. So that means that Sirius is cleared of any crime. He is now working at Hogwarts as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. It'll explain more in the story. Now, for the Buffy universe. Seasons one, two, three, four and five happened. This is five years after Once More with Feeling, but Buffy and Spike never kissed or anything. The gang knows Buffy was in Heaven, and Giles hasn't left yet.

So, thanks to **mysticallove, kitty minky, Siren's Call, FallenAngelLindsay, angelofdeadlydarkness0010, IceBlueRose, and Just Me **for reviewing.

Mysticallove- thanks! Hmm... brown eyes. Well, I love Orlando Bloom's eyes. They're like chocolate.

Kitty minky- Warm chocolate and warm elves...sheesh, do I wish I could be transported to middle earth. I love Spike's blue eyes. They're very icy. I've always liked Oz, and I hated it when he left.

Siren's Call- Even though most people were always "Oh, Snape is dumb. I hate him," I was "Oh, Snape is so cool." I think that he and Buffy have a few things in common, and maybe he reminds the Slayer of a certain brooding vampire seeking redemption... Gray eyes are so pretty. It makes me wonder how such a bland color can be so pretty. Plus, they remind me of a storm, and I love it when it rains.

FallenAngelLindsay- Welcome! And thanks for deciding to read my story. Yeah, you spelled significant right. I like blue eyes, but everybody in my family has blue eyes, so I'd go more for someone with green or gray, or even brown.

angelofdeadlydarkness0010- It's not that everybody has a crush on Buffy, it's that she's a very remarkable, likable person, and everyone can relate to her and get along with her. Thanks for reviewing!

IceBlueRose- Hmm... Draco and the Trio believing that Buffy and Snape are "getting along". Yeah, I can see them jumping to conclusions. Ooh, wouldn't it be totally fun if Sirius did something public? Yes, I'm getting ideas. Thanks for reviewing!

Just Me- I never liked the stories where one of the students is paired up with one of the teachers. They're about 15 years older, some more. Green eyes are my favorite too. You're the only one who has said that.

...Chapter Sixteen: Can't Fear When Fear Is Expected…………..

'Never show fear, never show pain,

I'll shamble on in this wolf bane.

The monster's restrained by moonlight veiled in cloud,

The screaming is refrained, but never out loud.

A whirlwind of hate,

Is what I placate.

For it shall never be freed, no not again,

While I still bleed, I'll entomb it within.

The chains hold it back,

If it's the courage I lack.'

….Chad "Chains"

It was fun, hanging out with Snape. Well, not exactly fun, but it was interesting. This man was smart. He had been telling Buffy about potions and about Hogwarts for the last hour, and she was practically hanging on every word he said. Snape was so detailed, and he told her in a way that kept her curious and wanting to learn more.

"I can see why you're a teacher. You're good at this," Buffy told him as they came to a stop in front of a broom store.

"That's not what I'm told," Snape replied, scowling as he thought of his various students and how many times he had heard them complain to each other. He was trying his best. Every day, it hurt to wake up, but he did anyone and he taught them and he tried.

Buffy noticed his scowl and felt his emotions. He was hurt by his students apparent lack of sensitivity. But Buffy understood what they felt. And she also understood what he felt. "Well, what do you expect them to tell you? Snape, you're mean to them. I don't know how many stories I have heard about what happens in your class. They're horror stories! You teach them, and they learn, but you have absolutely_ no_ people skills."

"Yes I do," he said, a bit sulkily.

She stared at him in surprise before laughing. "Are you sulking?" Buffy asked, giggling when he immediately stopped and scowled. "Snape, you're a good person. I know that. Don't say anything," she warned when he opened his mouth. "You put on this tough exterior, and you are tough, but you're not the horrible person I hear so much about. I know you're trying to redeem yourself, I get that. But you can't distance yourself from other people so much. I can tell you love being a Potions teacher. It makes you passionate. It's like a fire to you. I don't see why you're so bitter about wanting to be a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

He was quiet. Buffy just smiled softly and they continued walking. Snape led her away from Hogsmeade to a bench, far from prying eyes. He sat down and waited for her to sit beside him before he spoke. "I feel that because I was part of the darkness for so long, it's in me. And the only way for me to get rid of it is to teach the students about it."

"And you believe that the others are unqualified," Buffy added, laughing when he started to protest. "You don't want to admit it, but it's true. You may be right about a few previous teachers, but not about all. I mean, Quirrell was horrible, and so was the Moody-imposter. Also that famous dude. But Remus was a great teacher! And I know you think he wasn't qualified, but he was. He was a werewolf, and werewolf's are made from the darkness. He's like you. He went against what was expected, and he became good. And Sirius grew up with evil people, all supporters of Voldemort, and he defied them! He wanted to be good. And me, well, I'm the Slayer. I'm the very essence of darkness. I play for the light, but the Slayer was made from a demon. So, I think I have the credentials."

"Maybe." Snape told her, kind of feeling disappointed that his righteous anger didn't feel so...righteous anymore. He had spent a very long time hating himself, hating everybody, and it felt different when someone called him on it and practically told him he was behaving like a child.

"The thing about getting rid of it by teaching them about it? Not gonna happen. But what you're doing right now? It's so much better. You're risking your life, gathering information. And teaching the students about Potions is better than teaching DADA. You love this subject. Instead of teaching them in a way that makes them hate it, teach them and act like you enjoy it. No, you should actually enjoy it, not pretend. Don't just teach them what they need to know, teach them potions that would be fun to know. Potions that you like. They'll have more fun, and learn more, and things won't look so bleak anymore," Buffy told him. She knew what it was like going to school and hating it because the teachers didn't understand her, didn't understand what she was going through.

Snape didn't reply. Instead, they sat in comfortable silence until he noticed the time and saw that they had to go. Nodding her head, Buffy stood up, grabbed all her purchases, and they began walking back to where they were supposed to meet everyone. Halfway there, Snape took a few of Buffy's bags and held them for her. Buffy smiled but didn't say anything. She was getting somewhere, at least.

"So, what do you think is going on with Snape and Buffy?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione. They were sitting in the Gryffindor Common Room late Saturday night, and everybody else was asleep. It had been a good day, full of fun and relaxation. It was the most relaxed Harry had been in a very long time.

"I don't even want to think about it," groaned Ron, squeezing his eyes closed. It was a horrible thing to have in his mind.

"Well, I like Buffy, and if she and Snape are... together, then I'll respect that. I won't like it very much, but I'll respect it," Hermione said, setting aside her large book on Hinkledoos, furry creatures that ate fingernails.

Harry nodded absently, his mind on the image of Buffy and Snape walking through Hogsmeade, talking and getting along. The image was scary. "It is strange," he said. "But if they are... together, then maybe she'll help him become not so bitter. It'll be good all around."

"That's true." Ron brightened considerably. If Buffy and Snape got... together, then Snape wouldn't be a cranky git all the time, and their lives would therefore be easier. He was struck with a brilliant idea. "Tomorrow, why don't we visit her and tell her that we think it's a good idea that they are...together?"

Hermione stopped reading in a middle of a sentence and raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Ron, just because they were walking and having a civil conversation does not mean that they are...together. I believe that we shouldn't jump to conclusions and do something foolish, and possibly embarrassing to all involved."

"I guess so," Ron mumbled. Harry nodded in agreement.

"You know what?" Harry asked. Ron and Hermione looked at him in curiosity. "I think that Sirius likes Buffy."

This made Hermione close her book all the way and Ron set down his half eaten chocolate frog. They contemplated this thought, and Hermione smiled. "I can see it," she said. "I think that they would be very cute together. And Harry, if they get married, you two would be kind of related. Not blood or by law, but because Sirius is your Godfather."

When they went to bed, Harry's thoughts were focused on that one thing. He was supposed to live with Sirius this next summer, and having Buffy there would be fun. He went to bed with a smile.

……………

Once again, Buffy was patrolling alone. She had a lot to think about, mainly Snape and his insistence in blaming himself for not being able to let go of what he had done, and the way he taught. He was a good teacher, full of life. At least when he was talking to her. He made learning seem interesting when he was teaching her about Hogwarts. And when they had gotten onto the subject of Potions, he became passionate. Buffy could tell that he loved his job, even if he was always bitter to the students and teachers.

Her thoughts turned to Oz. He had left two days ago to London so he could buy a few supplies, like clothes and magic things. He was expected back tomorrow. When he got to Hogwarts, Buffy was going to sit him down and tell him he needed to go see Willow, who still thought he was dead. Buffy wrote them a letter every week, but she hadn't said anything about Oz. It wasn't her place to tell them. It was Oz's job, and she wanted him to do it right, and soon. She remembered how sad she had been when they learned that Oz was dead. Willow was practically devastated. She had cried for a week straight before Tara-

Her thoughts were cut off when she heard a snap behind her. Feeling a sense of déjà vu, Buffy whipped around and pulled out a wickedly carved knife. She didn't feel any vampires around, and if it was a demon she wanted to be prepared. But it wasn't a demon. Out stepped a person in a long black cloak, the hood pulled up to cover their head. In their hand was a wand.

Buffy rolled her eyes and groaned. "Oh, come on! Not again. Didn't you learn last time I kicked your ass? Go back to Pordenmart and tell him that he's not gonna win and to back off." She had every intention in continuing her rant, but at that moment at least 10 more Death Eaters stepped out of the shrubbery and surrounded her. Buffy's shoulders drooped as she thought about the upcoming fight. She was bound to ruin her clothing, for sure.

Dropping into a fighters stance, she tried to keep them all in her sights. They rushed and the fight began. It didn't last very long. Buffy drop kicked one of them, then swept the feet out from under another before doing a summersault and punching another one. The one she had tripped had already gotten up, and aimed his wand at her. She grabbed his hand and twisted. Hearing it crack, she shoved him into two other Death Eaters, knocking them over, and she turned one who was approaching.

She heard someone shout something, then an awful pain coursed through her body. Trying to fight it off, she swung her fist at the Death Eater, and he went down. Buffy turned to another one, only to hear then shout another curse and she felt the pain double. Falling to her knees, she lashed out at the Death Eater that come close enough before collapsing on the ground.

……………

It was some time later before she awoke. She didn't wake up in a nice white room this time. Instead she was in a dark, dank dungeon, chained up to the wall. Her body felt like it had been hit by a semi truck, then ran over repeatedly. Buffy swallowed, her throat parched. Boy, was she thirsty. Closing her eyes, she tried to ignore the pain in her bones and the various aches in her joints. Extending her senses, she knew she was in the house that she was in the first time. She felt Death Eaters wandering around, and then she felt something evil. And it was right outside her door.

Opening up her eyes, Buffy heard the door the dungeon creak open, and Voldemort swept in. While before he had been polite to her in hopes of her joining his side, this time he radiated positive hate. He wanted to kill her. But he was also curious. She could tell, which was why he hadn't yet killed her. Maybe if Buffy could play on that curiosity, she could find some way to escape. Voldemort stopped in front of her.

His hood was down so she could see everything of his face. Eyes small and round, like a snakes. His nose was slitted. Buffy expected a forked snakes tongue to sweep out of his mouth, but the thin lips stayed close and the beady, malicious eyes glared at her. At length, he spoke.

"For a very long time, I have been feared by all excepting Dumbledore and the Potter kid. But I look at you and see no fear. I see… contempt, and that is a very fascinating thing to see because no one has been brave enough to hold me in contempt. I feel that I should give you another chance." He paused, and Buffy stared at him in suspicion.

__

Another chance for what? she wondered, yet didn't say anything. They continued the staring contest for a few moments before Voldemort hissed in annoyance. He pulled out his wand and muttered a curse under his breath. Buffy didn't hear what he said, but she felt it. Hot needle pricks went through her body, but she didn't scream. She wouldn't give him that satisfaction. She squeezed her hands together, and her nails broke the skin of her palm. Blood trailed down her arm. After what seemed like hours, but surely couldn't have been more that two minutes, the pain stopped and still Voldemort stared at her. She glared at him hatefully.

Then he laughed. It was an evil sound. Dry and rusty. "I have caused you pain, you know that I can easily cause you more, and yet you do not fear me. Why is that?"

Buffy felt that it was time to speak. "How can someone fear something so pitiful?" She asked, her throat practically screaming in protest. She still glared at him, refusing to look away from those eyes that spoke of such anger and unchecked fury.

"I do believe that you would be a great asset to my cause. Tell me, is there anything that can…persuade you to change your mind?" Voldemort asked, tapping his wand against his palm.

At that moment, a terrible idea began to shape in Buffy's head. It was something that she shouldn't think about, for she was most likely going to get killed for it, but it was the only idea she had. She smiled a positively evil little smile and Voldemort almost shuddered.

"So, there is something," he said, seeing her beginning to crumble.

"Oh yeah. There's something that can persuade me." And she and Voldemort began to plan.

………………

(Sunday, Oct. 4)

It was raining. That was the first thing Draco noticed when he got up on Sunday. Outside, the sky was a dark, rolling gray mass of clouds. Lightning struck every once in a while, and thunder sounded loudly. The rain cascaded down in angry torrents. The second thing he noticed was the deep feeling of wrongness in his stomach. Jumping up out of bed, he got dressed and hurried to the Great Hall. It was filled with silent students. Hardly a murmur could be heard. Dumbledore and the rest of the teachers were at the Head table, and none of them spoke. It was as if they knew something was terribly wrong.

Sitting down at the Slytherin table, Draco's eyes kept darting around. Potter and his friends were already at the table, and their conversation was hushed. They weren't eating any food, instead they had a few pieces of parchment out and Hermione was rapidly writing something down. Turning his attention away from them, Draco looked hard at Dumbledore. He looked worried, which was enough to scare Draco shitless because he had never really seen Dumbledore look worried. There was no Summers to be seen anywhere. Then Draco had a terrible thought.

Something had happened to her. He knew it, just like he knew his world was going to change when he first saw her walk into the Great Hall. Black was staring bleakly at his food, and even Snape was looking sort of blank. Standing up, Draco made his way to the Head table. When he got there, he stood beside Dumbledore for a full ten seconds before he realized that he didn't notice him. But the student body had. Clearing his throat, he frowned when Dumbledore whipped his head around and stared at him in surprise.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy. How can I help you?" He asked with forced cheerfulness.

"What's going on?" Draco asked, not even bothering to lower his voice. Draco Malfoy was anything but timid. If he wanted to know something, then he damn well found out!

Dumbledore sighed and looked over at Black, who nodded his head. "Very well. I suppose we can't really keep a secret, at least not in this school." He stood up and clapped his hands, not that he needed to since everybody was staring at him avidly. "This morning, we discovered the unfortunate fact that Professor Summers is missing once again."

The Hall filled with murmurs. Harry looked at his friends, paling. That wasn't good. Not good at all. "How are we going to find her?" He asked, standing up to face Dumbledore. The students quieted once again.

"We have Aurors out looking for her right now. You will be informed the moment we find her, but for now we can only wait and hope that that Professor comes back safe."

……………(Back in Sunnydale)……………

Dawn tapped her pencil against her homework, hoping Shawna came back to their dorm room soon. She could really use her help since she had taken the same Mythology class last year. Glancing back at the paper, she threw her pencil across the room in frustration, the groaned when it bounced off the door. Banging her head on the bed, she knew it was futile to continue. Setting aside the binder, Dawn stood up and stretched. She had been laying there for three hours.

At the moment, the door opened and Shawna entered with two Starbucks cups. Sighing in relief, she hurried to her. "You are a Goddess, Shawn. I love you to bits and pieces," Dawn said, taking the coffee and sipping it. She closed her eyes in satisfaction. "And where have you been?" she asked her, opening her eyes.

Shawna grinned and held up a bag. "Shopping," she said, pulling off her coat and tossing it on her bed. "It's my cousins birthday tomorrow, and I got him this book on mythology. He took it last year also."

"Oh?" Dawn asked, interested. "And which cousin is this?"

"Rick," Shawna said nonchalantly, grinning to herself. She knew Dawn liked him, even if she hadn't said so.

Dawn grew quiet, thinking about the man in question. _Oh, what a hunka, hunka burnin' love,_ she thought. If only she would get invited to the party. Eyes narrowed, she stared at her friend in suspicion when she giggled. "Something fun, Shawn?" She asked in a dangerous tone.

"Oh, no," Shawna replied innocently, turning to her and widening her eyes. "Do you want to come to the party? I can ask Rick if you do," she offered.

Dawn smiled, the squealed, giving her roommate a big hug. Then she turned to her closet and began to pick out the outfit she would wear tomorrow.

She couldn't wait to tell Buffy.

………………………..

So, this is it. Review, please.

Ooh, pointless question: What is your favorite quote?


	17. Interlude: Dreams of What's To Come

Title: Bound by Loyalty

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Harry Potter- Pretty much books 1-4.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Seasons 1-5 and some of season 6.

Pairings: Buffy/Sirius Black, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione

Summary: Buffy gets a letter inviting her to help teach at Hogwarts. Dumbledore tells her about the fight with Voldemort, and she agrees to help protect Harry Potter. While there, she learns things about herself that she never knew, and she finds a way to live. Meanwhile, Sirius Black can't stop thinking about the blonde Slayer that has suddenly invaded his life.

Author's Note: Thanks to **spike10101, IceBlueRose, great big buffy fan, Renna, Just Me, and Siren's Call** for reviewing.

spike10101- Oh, you'll just have to see what happens.

IceBlueRose- to tell you the truth, I have absolutely no clue what Buffy is planning. Yes! I love J. D. Robb. And Roarke and Eve are just fantastic. Don't you just love the love-hate relationship of Summerset and Eve? I know I do. Those are just great books. Thanks for reviewing.

great big buffy fan- while I really appreciate your reviewing, and three times no less, but I don't appreciate the way you did it. There are so many stories out there where Buffy is a lot older than Harry. In my story, she is. This is AU, in case you didn't get the memo. Tara died in season six and Sunnydale got destroyed in season seven. It's still there, as you can see if you read my story thoroughly before reviewing. In chapter one, I said that everything happened from season one-season five. It is five years after OMWF, except Buffy and Spike never kissed. So that means Tara is alive, and Sunnydale still stands. I can accept someone giving me constructive criticism, but not when they leave me a review just saying "maybe you should check your spelling before you put it up". I, for one, think that my spelling is not that bad in this story. Sure, I mess up a few words, but then again, so does everyone else. You did when you reviewed. So if you are going to leave me a review giving me helpful hints about my chapters, then go ahead. However, if you are just going to leave me little reviews with questions or comments that can be explained if only you had read my story through all the way and checked out the author notes at the beginning, then please stop reviewing. The author notes are there for a reason. They're not just to add words. I'm really glad you enjoyed it overall, though.

Renna- Thanks. I actually really enjoyed writing that conversation. Here's an update!

Just Me- What is Buffy up to? You'll just have to see. To tell you the truth, I don't exactly know just yet. Maybe she's being wooed to the Dark side. Thanks so much for reviewing, and keep doing it! (Wink, wink).

Siren's Call- I haven't yet worked out what Buffy's plan will be or what exactly will happen. It's in my head somewhere. Thanks. I liked writing the talk between Buffy and Snape. It's about time someone knocked some sense into him! Yeah, I like that quote. When I first heard it, it took me a while to figure out what it meant and what the heck Bilbo was talking about! Thanks for your lovely review! P.S. I really love your Destiny story. It's just great.

So, I have this one story up called Whispers of the Darkness. It's in the Buffy section. It's a pretty good idea for a story, made up by Crystal Cheyenne. Go check it out!

...Chapter Seventeen: Dreams of What's to Come...

'I have a lot of dreams,

I don't always tell you.

They seek me out at night,

As I slumber under the moon.

I've soared across the Danube,

And landed in my back yard.

To find that running away,

Has become extremely hard.

I've had a deja-vu,

Of standing around at work.

"I know I've done this before,

The place on my hand still hurts."

I've dreamed out my fantasies,

And I was on top of the world.

The memories of first loves,

Still haunt inside this girl.

But I don't dream around you,

And I really don't know why,

A lighter slumber when I'm with you,

When we are under our black sky.

I don't dream with you at night,

And not a single dream I'll see.

I now know why this happens,

It's cause my dream is in front of me.'

...Sara "I Don't Dream"

It had to be said. The words were between them, just filling the silence, but nothing would ever come out. It was like a void. As if both were expecting something, but they didn't know just what it was.

Hermione sat next to Ron, who was deep in thought. He didn't appear to notice her, so she just pulled out a book and began to read. About five minutes later, he glanced over at her and jumped in surprise.

"Blimey, Hermione, give me a bleedin' heart attack since you're so intent upon scaring me to death," Ron exclaimed, holding his heart. The girl just raised her brow at him and looked back at her book. The red head stared at his friend, wanting to say something, anything. But nothing would come out when he opened his mouth. He tried again, and a sound started to emerge, but Hermione cut him off by slamming her book closed.

"Ronald, we must stop this nonsense at once. Now, for weeks we have been tip-toeing around each other and it needs to end. There is something we have to discuss," Hermione told him setting her book down on the table with a bang.

Ron's eyes widened and he looked from the book to Hermione and back to the book again. "I don't think anything is strange," he finally said.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "That's because you're a man, and you see what you wish to see. I have something I need to say, and I'm going to say it without interruptions. Is that clear?" Ron nodded mutely. "Good. Lately, things have been changing. For Harry, for you, and for me. My feelings about you have changed quite drastically. I've been thinking about you in a way a friend wouldn't." She sighed in frustration. "Ron, what I'm trying to say is that I'm crazy about you. Possibly just crazy. I look at you and see... a future. I love you. There. I said it. I love you."

There was shock in his brown eyes. That, and a deep fear. Oh God. What had she said?

Hermione woke up, breathing loudly and sweating profusely. No. That wasn't right. She couldn't be, could she? They were friends. Just friends. And she loved him. Groaning, she buried her head in her pillow and stifled a frustrated scream. Her life sucked just then.

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In Sunnydale, Willow was relaxing after a particularly long, busy day. She was sitting in the living room in Buffy's house, head rolled back and eyes closed. She was so tired, and all she wanted was a long hot bath and a massage. But no, she had to do work instead. She and Tara had taken over the Magic Box from Giles and Anya, and boy was it a lot of work! Swearing to herself that she would just lay down for a moment, she went to the couch and relaxed.

Suddenly the door banged open and Willow sat up, gasping in surprise. Buffy was standing in the doorway, bags around her and tears on her face. Jumping up, she ran to her side. "Buffy! What's wrong? What happened?"

Buffy didn't say anything. She just stared at Willow blankly, silent tears coursing down her face. Grabbing her arm, Willow led Buffy to the couch, leaving the door wide open and luggage crowding the opening.

"Honey, sit down." Willow directed, pulling her down to sit next to her on the couch. "There you go. Now, can you tell me what happened? What's wrong?" Willow asked Buffy, tucking a strand of the blonde's hair behind her ear.

Opening her mouth, Buffy started to say something but she hiccupped instead. Sniffling, she rubbed her hands over her wet cheeks, trying to stop the tears. However, they kept coming. "I left." She finally said.

"Left what? Hogwarts? I don't understand," Willow told her anxiously.

"We're fools," Buffy whispered, leaning her head on her best friends shoulder.

"What do you mean?"

"We're all fools. Everybody is. Why do we do this to ourselves? Why-why do we insist on putting ourselves through this, time and time again?" Buffy asked, shaking her head.

"Do what, Buffy? Putting ourselves through what?"

"Love," she answered softly. "Why do we put ourselves through love when we know that we are just going to get hurt. That it can't work out. At least not for me."

"Oh, Buffy. It is Sirius? What did he do to you? 'Cause, I swear to the Goddess that if he has hurt you, I will rip out his entrails."

Buffy let out a watery laugh. "No, he didn't do anything, per se. He loves me," she said, almost as if she were amazed by the fact. "He told me he loves me."

"And it seems that you love him. What's the problem?"

"Willow, you know that my love life never turns out well. I can't do that again." There was more Buffy was going to say, but at that moment Willow felt a hand shake her shoulder, and she woke up to see Tara standing over her. Springing up, she looked over at the door, but it was closed. There was no Buffy anywhere. Breathing in deeply, she shook her head. _I've been working too much_.

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Voldemort glared at Harry, deep hatred practically radiating off of him. His wand was pointed at the Boy-Who-Lived, and Harry felt a momentary stab of fear before he pushed it down. Now wasn't the time to be scared, especially when so much was at stake. This was the man that had killed his parents, robbed him of the chance to get to know them and grow up with a great childhood. Because of him, Sirius had gone to Azkaban and many people had to live in fear.

It was time. Time to prove himself, show everybody that he wasn't just the Boy-Who-Lived, the Boy-Who-Survived-Voldemorts-Attack. He was Harry Potter, and he was good enough.

The Dark Lord obviously didn't think so. Voldemort advanced, and Harry tried to curb the urge to turn around and run. He saw Buffy out of the corner of his eye, magically bound to one place. Sirius was by her, ropes magically wound about him. It was up to Harry.

Trees loomed around them, dark and foreboding. Sticks littered the ground, and he could hear the crunch of them as Voldemort got closer. Lifting his wand, he prepared to duel.

"Harry, don't let him get to you. Whatever he says, don't listen and don't believe. Just do what your head, what your heart tells you to do." That was from Buffy. It seemed she was the one who always believed in him, in his choices and actions. And that helped, a lot. It gave him courage. Courage to do what he had to do.

Harry Potter raised his hand and pointed his wand at his mortal enemy. It was beginning.

Breathing heavily, Harry woke up in a sweat, his scar throbbing. Taking out a piece of parchment and a quill, he quickly wrote down everything he remembered so he could show Dumbledore when he woke up in the morning. Leaning back, he let out a sigh and wondered how he was going to sleep again.

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Sirius stared at Buffy uncomprehendingly. She was leaving?

"When?" He asked, choking on the word.

"Soon," she answered, head down.

"Why? Buffy, why are you- look at me!" He commanded, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look at his face. "At least have the decency to look me in the eyes when you're breaking my heart. Why are you leaving? I love you."

"Don't. Don't say that." Buffy told him, holding back the tears.

"Why not? I mean it, Buffy. I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you. You know what? I can say that for the rest of our lives. I love you. Don't you love me? Because if you don't, then I was stupidly under the impression that you did."

"Sirius, don't do this. Just let me go."

"I don't want to! Can't you see it, Buffy? It's here," he put his hand against her heart. "It's all right here. And here," he put her hand on his heart. "Can you feel it? That's my heart, breaking. I need you. I need you to be with me."

"I can't do this. I'm leaving, Sirius, and it can't be stopped." Buffy turned and ran out of his room, and Sirius just stared after her retreating back, feeling like he was losing part of his soul.

That's when he woke up. Putting his hand to his aching chest, he breathed in deeply and wondered where the hell that had come from.

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So, there it is. Short, I know. But it's an interlude, so the next should be longer. Review, please!

Pointless question: What is your favorite book?


	18. Fooling A Fool

**Title: **Bound By Loyalty

**Notes: **Okay, it has been a very long time, I know. But I just could not find the time or the energy to do this. Actually I was bored. But I sat at my computer today, and it came to me. So enjoy! Thanks to **mysticallove, Renna, Just Me, FallenAngelLindsay, buffynangelforever, charmedslayers, IceBlueRose, ana, VaMpEdChik, The Dragon's Lady, Nitechick89, Lady Saffron of the Daggers, Caz92, me, JuliansGIrl, vampy the chosen one, GoddessofDestiny419, and kaziweirdo **for reviewing!

The Dragon's Lady: I love long reviews! Keep up with the massive reviews, and I'll be happy.

* * *

_Chapter 18: Fooling a Fool_

'I will talk in riddles

I will talk like the symbolic fool I have always been

I will live in a world, a world lost here and again

I will talk with hope

Hope that may shatter in the end

I bring on the pain

The pain I know

I bring into view the hate

Let it flow

Let out the anger

Anger of insanity

Drive me out again

And hide in riddles

Underneath the skin

Bring forth the fear

The fear that masks the scent and. . .

Oh! bring it near

Bring out the rage

The rage I throw

Bring on the riddles

The riddles I only know

Bring on the symbols

Even the hateful ones that were built so true

Let out the riddles

The riddles that are so clear

Let out the poetry I write

While in trepidation and fear.'

-Ryan Wemmer "The Riddles"

Buffy stared into the fire, watching the dancing flames and feeling the warmth on her skin. She had changed out of her dirty clothes into something Voldemort had given her. It was a green, sleeveless dress with a silver chain wrapped around her waist, and it flowed to her ankles. Under any other circumstances, she would have enjoyed the softness of the cotton against her skin. However, considering where she was and who she was with, she felt as if she should always be on guard.

Turning her head when the Dark Lord entered the room, she watched as he silently glided to a stone table, where two beautiful goblets inlaid with jewels glittered. There was something almost compelling about the figure, clothed in dark robes and a hood covering his face as he poured wine into the cups. He handed one to Buffy, and she stared into it, not wanting to drink its contents. Voldemort raised it to his lips and took a big drink, then stared into the fire.

"You know what I hate?" He asked conversationally in a hissing voice.

"That you're so misunderstood?" Buffy asked, relaxing against her chair.

"Everybody thinks I'm a fool. I don't like being made a fool, Miss Summers. In fact, I hate it when I'm treated like a fool. I'm not a FOOL!" He roared, throwing his goblet into the fire, the wine making the flames shoot up.

"No, you're not a fool," Buffy said truthfully. And he wasn't. He was actually pretty smart. His whole idea to take over the world was actually well thought out.

"Then why do you persist in treating me like I am? I'm not an idiot. I know your plan!" Voldemort shouted, throwing back his hood, his eyes glittering coldly. He put a hand on each side of Buffy, blocking her in. Buffy tensed up, narrowing her eyes. "You think that you can fool me? You can't," he hissed.

"I guess not," Buffy replied, searching for a way to escape.

Voldemort suddenly laughed, straightening. He pulled out a wand and tapped it on his palm. "That's okay, though. Because I have a plan."

Buffy understood what he was talking about, so she surged to her feet and ran towards the door. It was too late, however, because Voldemort muttered a word and Buffy felt an urge to stop and go back to her chair and sit down. So she did, staring at the Dark Lord intently as words pervaded her mind.

_Listen to me, Buffy. It's so easy._

_But I don't want to._

_Listen to me. You want to._

_I do?_

_Yes. Now, I want you to do something for me._

_Yes, Master. What is it?_

_I want you to go back to Hogwarts._

_But why?_

_Because I want you to. I sent a group of vampires, and they should be there by now. I want you to go in after them and bring me Harry Potter._

_Harry? But you hate him._

_Exactly. Now go._

_Yes, Master._

Buffy blinked and stood, heading towards the door. She followed the road down to the edge of the forest, knowing that the portal was open to transport her to the Forbidden Forest. Stepping in, she landed on the ground in dirt and leaves. Pushing herself up, she brushed herself off, not noticing the twigs in her hair or the scratches on her arms.

Shaking her head, she grinned. She was such a good actress.

* * *

(Monday, Oct. 5)

Harry stared into his bowl of porridge glumly. They still hadn't found Buffy, even though Aurors had been out searching for her all night. He felt as if it was his fault. Voldemort was after him, he knew that, and Buffy wouldn't even be involved with the whole mess if it wasn't for him.

The Great Hall was still quiet, occasionally punctuated by whispers from various students, mostly Slytherins. Draco was unusually silent, blinking at his breakfast with a blank face.

At the Professors table, they were talking quietly amongst themselves. Sirius had a lost expression on his face, and he looked exhausted, like he hadn't eaten or slept in a few days, which was probably true.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he opened them when the door was flung open with a bang. The student body glanced over excitedly, expecting to see Buffy. But it wasn't her. Frowning, Harry glanced at Dumbledore, who, along with the rest of the professors, had pulled out his wand.

"Get along the back of the room, students," he shouted in a commanding voice. The students complied without a word, huddling in the back.

A group of people had walked in. Except they weren't people. They had bumpy faces, and sharp teeth. Harry knew they were Vampires. A few had a student in their vice like grips. Where was Buffy when you needed her?

"Hello, students of Hogwarts!" One of them shouted, causing the others to laugh. "Now, Mr. Dumbledore, you don't want to use that wand on me, do you? After all, I'm sure you can't kill all of us before we get to the students, y'know?" He asked, gesturing to the terrified students still in their grips. "So, we're all going to sit here for a few minutes. We are waiting for a special guest." They started laughing, and Harry didn't like the sound at all.

* * *

Buffy entered Hogwarts, which was void of people, and headed towards the Great Hall. The door was closed, and through it, she could hear voices. They were students, though, so Buffy guessed that they were the Vampires.

She contemplated the door, squinting. Tilting her head from side to side, she shrugged, then kicked it in.

"Honey, I'm home," she said, grinning. Walking in, she glanced around to make sure the kids were alright. She saw the relieved look on Harry's face.

"Finally, you're here," one of the Vamps complained. "It took you long enough. Grab the Potter kid, will ya?"

Buffy saw Harry's face fall and saw the shocked expression on Sirius' face out of the corner of her eye.

She headed towards Harry.

* * *

Harry shrank back as Buffy walked to him. She was a bad guy? How did this happen? He had trusted her, told her things. He shook his head and stared at her in anger and disgust. That look changed to confusion when she stopped at a bench and turned to look back at the Vampires.

* * *

Giving the Vamps a small smile, Buffy brought her palm down on to the wooden bench, splintering it. Grabbing a piece of wood, she held it in her hand as a make-shift stake.

Sauntering towards the Vampires, who all had confused looks on their faces, she tapped the stake against her chin. "Now," she began, "I'm not going to grab the Potter kid until you let go of the students, ok?"

"Why?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Because the Dark Lord Voldemort said so," she said, hoping they would be so scared of their master that they wouldn't question her. It worked as they looked frightened and let go of the kids. The students ran towards the big group, and Buffy saw that Ginny Weasley had been one of them.

"What's the piece of wood for?" One of them asked stupidly.

"The better to kill you with, my dear," Buffy answered sweetly before springing into action. She did a series of back flips before reaching them. She staked one right off the bat, and the fight began.

* * *

Sirius stared at Buffy in sadness and anger. How could she do this? She seemed so real, so good. But she was a liar. She had been fooling them all along.

His anger switched to confusion when he saw her splinter the bench and pick up a stake. That confusion changed to happiness when he saw that she wasn't evil as she began to fight them. Running down from the dais the professors table was on, he jumped into the fray. He felt a back connect to his, and he looked over, surprised to see Snape fighting a Vampire. Shrugging, he used his wand as a stake and killed a Vamp.

The fight went on for a few minutes. Sirius turned around and saw a Vamp sneaking up on Snape. Deciding that a dead professor wasn't the best thing, he sighed and jumped in front of it, killing the thing. Turning back to Snape, he smiled at him, then his eyes widened when Snape shoved him out of the way and stabbed the Vamp that was right behind him with his wand.

"Thanks," they said at the same time. Nodding, they reverted back to glaring at each other and shooting the other one cold looks. Looking around, Snape saw that Buffy was in combat with the leader of the Vampires.

She punched him in the face, then dropped to the ground and swept his legs out from under him. The Vamp rolled when Buffy tried to bring her stake down on his heart, then kicked her in the face. She flew back and hit the wall, sliding down. Flipping herself up, she ran after the Vamp, who was going straight for Harry and the screaming students. Jumping onto the table, she followed him, before springing off and tackling the vampire, who had almost reached Harry. On the way down, she staked him, landing hard on the ground.

Sirius winced. That looked like it had hurt. Standing up, Buffy dusted herself off, and Sirius noticed that she was wearing a dress in green and silver. Slytherin colors.

Just then, he heard a noise at the door and turned.

"Well," Oz said, dropping his bags. The students looked over at him. "I missed something."

* * *

Buffy grinned at Oz, then crouched down next to Harry. "Are you okay?" She asked, brushing his hair out of his eyes.

He nodded, staring at her. Buffy was surprised when he enveloped her in a hug, so she fell back on her butt. "Don't scare me like that," Harry whispered, and Buffy gave him a small nod, unable to speak. He pulled back and gave her a lopsided grin. "That was some pretty awesome fighting."

Buffy laughed before ruffling his hair and standing up. "Yeah, you missed something," she said to Oz, walking over to him. "Breakfast," she explained, realizing she hadn't eaten since she was kidnapped. Her stomach growled.

Glancing over at the professors table and sighed when she saw Dumbledore with an expectant look on his face. Breakfast would have to wait. Scanning her eyes over to Sirius, she smiled at him, then "Oomphed," when he pulled her into a hug. "Nice to see you too," she said, laughing.

"You worried me."

"That seems to be the theme here."

They headed to the staff room, Buffy tugging Snape's arm to make him join them.

* * *

After explaining what had happened, which Buffy noticed was a recurring theme, she dug into a big breakfast.

"Y'know you're going to have to go speak to Willow," she told Oz.

He nodded in agreement. "I'll leave tomorrow," he said.

"Keep me updated, okay?" She asked.

He nodded once again.

Sometimes it was hard to go back home. Buffy understood that.

* * *

Review please!

Pointless question: What is your favorite holiday?


	19. There's Always Fate To Consider

**Title: **Bound by Loyalty

**Rating:** PG-13

**Spoilers:** Harry Potter- Pretty much books 1-4.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Seasons 1-5 and some of season 6.

**Pairings: **Buffy/Sirius Black, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione

**Summary:** Buffy gets a letter inviting her to help teach at Hogwarts. Dumbledore tells her about the fight with Voldemort, and she agrees to help protect Harry Potter. While there, she learns things about herself that she never knew, and she finds a way to live. Meanwhile, Sirius Black can't stop thinking about the blonde Slayer that has suddenly invaded his life.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of them. Buffy goes to Whedon, and Harry and everybody in the Potter-verse go to Rowling. If you don't recognize anyone, they're probably mine. I do own the plot, though. Don't sue. Please.

**Author's note:** Here's another chapter. I'm going to try to wrap this up soon, I promise. Thanks to **me, JuliansGIrl, vampy the chosen one, spk, Lady Silverhawk, kisa the tiger, Siren's Call, VaMpEdChiK, renna, Buffy-CrazyaboutAngel, Nikki, The Dragon's Lady, Moony-Mione-Padfoot, Toniboo, anonymous, Serrafina, IceBlueRose, and MisterFuzzyMan **for reviewing!

* * *

**Chapter 19: There's Always Fate To Consider**

'Listen, people, if you never listen more,

There's nothing in life to be bitter for,

If you don't get back all that you give,

Go out into the world, go out and live.

Take yourself to some place else,

Leave those who argue with themselves,

Far behind, life can at times be kind,

Fate has everything perfectly timed.

Though memories can be cruel at times,

As they shiver slowly down our spines,

These, my friend, are better days,

No matter what a part of me still says.

-Ryan Grey "To Better Days"

(Wednesday, Oct. 7)

In Sunnydale...

Humming quietly, Willow dried the plate she held in her hand and smiled. It was such a beautiful day. The sun was shining, birds chirping and the house was clean. That meant she could relax for the rest of the day, lounge around until Tara got home. Placing the dish on the rack, the Wiccan wiped her hands on a dishrag and exited the kitchen.

She paused on her way to the living room, her attention caught on a picture that hung on her wall. It was of her and Oz. She had kept it to remember all that they had, and she hoped she could someday look at it fondly and not feel the stab of pain in her heart when she remembered that she used to love him. Usually she could just pass it up without noticing it, but for some reason, her gaze kept finding its way to the picture. Shrugging off a feeling of unease, Willow tore her gaze away and continued into the living room.

Willow grabbed the remote and turned the TV on, flicking through channels in the hope of finding something interesting. Like maybe Oprah, or Everybody Loves Raymond. She particularly liked his brother, and Ray's parents always succeeded in making her laugh. Quickly caught up in the story about Ray defending his daughter's Girl Scout turf, she forgot her momentarily feeling of unease.

By five o'clock, the only thing she was thinking about was starting dinner before Tara got home at six. They had a routine, and it was a very comfortable routine. On Willow's day off, she cleaned and cooked, and vice versa on Tara's day off. It worked for them, and she wouldn't change it for anything.

Smiling as she chopped up vegetables, Willow thought about Buffy. She wondered what she was doing, how things were going at the magic school. Buffy had told her about Sirius, about how she kissed him and that she was scared. Willow understood her hesitancy. After all, she didn't have the best track record when it came to relationships. But neither did Willow, never mind the fact that she had only been in two relationships. But one _was _a werewolf and the other a girl, so she felt confidant in saying that her love life was a bit strange. Maybe she should write to Buffy and-

Stiffening, Willow felt the tingling on the back of her neck again. It was strange, because she had usually only felt that when Oz was near. But that was impossible, because he was dead. _He died a long time ago_, she thought, shaking her head. Then the doorbell rang, and Willow almost dropped her knife. Frowning, she looked at the clock. 5:30. Who would be coming over so late? It wasn't Xander because he usually just walked in. Wary, she went to the door and opened it a foot.

Gasping, Willow stumbled back a step and had to grab a hold of the door so she wouldn't fall. "Oz?" She asked in confusion and astonishment.

* * *

Hogwarts...

Halloween came and went without any type of disturbance. Thanksgiving passed, and Buffy was a little disheartened when Hogwarts didn't celebrate. All was quiet, and because of that, Buffy was worried. It wasn't like Voldemort to give up, so she guessed that he was planning something. Something big. Something evil and definitely not of the good. So Buffy trained. She taught classes, avoided Sirius whenever she could, hung out with Snape, and wrote to her friends and sister. She reassured Willow that Oz was who he said he was and that she had known he was alive for only a little while. Buffy suspected things were in turmoil over on the Sunnydale front, and as much as she wanted to be there to help, she knew she had priorities, and they lay at Hogwarts.

The leaves turned brown and fell. The weather changed from warm to cold. Time went on. It was at the beginning of December when Sirius finally found Buffy and cornered her where she couldn't escape. Shutting the door behind him to her training room, he leaned against the wall and waited for her to notice him. It didn't take long. He watched her shoulder's stiffen when she stopped and dropped her leg. Turning around, he saw her eyes narrow and dart around for a way to escape without seeming like she was escaping. Without saying a word, he slowly began walking towards her, taking deliberate steps. She backed away, seemingly unconsciously. It was almost as if he was trying to get close to a frightened animal.

Her back hit the wall, and she had nowhere else to go when he reached her and caged her in by putting an arm on each side of her shoulders. The action reminded her of Voldemort for a split second before she looked into his eyes and saw the heat. Voldemort's eyes had been cold, icy. Sirius' eyes were filled with desire and something else. Something else she couldn't put a name to...

She felt a bit frightened. Fearful. Buffy didn't like that feeling, and she never had. But for some reason, the fear she felt wasn't for her own personal safety. It was for her heart. Buffy had always been the type of person to hold her heart on her sleeve. It didn't always seem like it, though. In fact, she had become quite good at hiding her feelings behind a mask. Hiding her hopes and dreams. It was surprising that she even had any hopes and dreams left after the life she had led. People looked at her and liked to think they saw a happy person. Willow, Xander and the rest of her friends had made that mistake many times, especially after she had come back from the dead. After they had brought her back. Before things went horribly wrong and her life turned into a musical. Then they had all known. They had all known where she had been, what her afterlife had been like. But by then, it was too late to change anything. All she could do now was wait, continue fighting, and hope that some day, she can go back to that peace she had felt. Go back to where she belonged. Where she had always belonged...

Buffy's thoughts were interrupted when Sirius crushed his mouth on hers. Their first kiss had held a gentleness, and tentativeness. This kiss was...more, somehow. He stole her breath, put fire in her mouth and body. She could feel it all the way to her toes. Curling her fingers in her hair, she pushed him back and reversed their positions so his back was pressed against the wall. Buffy pushed her body against his hard one, dragging her left hand down the side of his face, chest and up his shirt so that her hand contacted skin. Sirius tugged her closer, wrapping his arm around her small waist and lifting her up so that she could bring her legs around his waist. She gasped when his mouth left hers and went to her throat.

It took her a few moments and hot feelings before she remembered why they shouldn't be doing this.

"Stop," she whispered, untangling her hand from his hair. "Stop," she said more forcefully, holding her hand against his chest and pushing.

Sirius stopped, panting, and tightened his hands, which were cupping her bottom. "What? What's wrong?" He asked, shaking his head to clear his eyes.

"We shouldn't be doing this, Sirius. Not now."

"Right. And why is that?" He wondered, confused.

"Well, for one thing, we're at a school where anybody could walk in that door. And another thing, I don't want to be doing this."

Sirius furrowed his brow and looked down. "Then why are your legs still wrapped around me? It sure didn't feel like you didn't want to kiss me, Buffy."

The Slayer flushed and dropped her legs from around his waist. Disengaging her hand from inside his shirt, she stepped back and sighed. "Okay, so maybe I wanted to do that. But it's to soon Sirius. I barely know you."

"Then get to know me." He urged, stepping closer. "Come to the Yule Ball with me. It's next week, the day before the students go home for Christmas break."

"I don't know..."

"Come on. Please?" Sirius sent her his most charming grin.

Rolling her eyes, Buffy gave in. "Okay," she said. Then she grinned back at him. Who said she couldn't have fun while she was waiting?

* * *

(Dec. 16, London)

Shivering, Buffy pulled her coat closer to her body and shoved back the hair the wind was blowing into her eyes. _Why does London have to be so damn cold?_ Buffy wondered, frowning as she passed yet another shop of clothes. Of course, she had to wait until the last minute to find something to wear. It was just that she had been so caught up in teaching and training, and she had just plum forgotten until today. She had been teaching her last class of the day when she had realized that most of the students weren't really paying attention. So Buffy had stopped, shot a grinning Sirius a look, and had stood in front of the room, arms crossed and foot tapping. It was a few minutes before the class had realized they were the subjects of intense scrutiny before they stopped talking and pretended to work on their book assignment. Buffy had just sighed and asked them what was so dang interesting. That's when she remembered that the Yule Ball was the next day, and she had felt a bit panicked. Adopting a look of nonchalance, she had dismissed them early and had snuck away, pretending she didn't see or hear the laughing Sirius, who had a knowing look on his face.

So, here she was in London looking for a dress and pretending that it wasn't important to her. If she were asked by anyone, she would have said it was an unimportant event that meant nothing to her, but on the inside she'd be giddy, like the high school girl she used to be. Growling impatiently as she passed yet another store holding clothing that she wouldn't be caught dead in, Buffy scrunched up her nose as a foul smell wafted towards her. Glancing around for the source, she couldn't find what could be causing such a bad stench, but as she got closer to an alley, it worsened to the point where the Slayer felt like gagging. Staggering backwards, she ignored the strange looks she was getting and frowned in confusion because it seemed as if no one else smelt it.

Cautiously walking closer, she took a step into the alley and immediately tripped over a small mound of dirt. Glaring at the offending mound and wondering why it looked like someone had dug a fresh hole into the ground, Buffy crouched down and hesitantly reached a hand out to dig into the mound of dirt. Some unnamable force was propelling her to dig, and dig, and keep digging until dirt caked her hands and filled under her nails. She felt like she was digging in vain, and though she wanted to stop, she had the compulsion to keep at it. It seemed as if she had hand dug a hole a foot deep before her hands came in contact with an object wrapped in a garbage bag. Curious, yet wary, the Slayer pulled it out and was about to examine it before she was interrupted.

"Hey!" Some exclaimed in an irritated voice, and Buffy looked up to see a man in a jacket that said 'London Waste Company' and realized that he probably wanted to empty the dumpster behind her. "What are you doing in her, Lady?" He asked, frowning at her in obvious disapproval.

"I just dropped something," Buffy improvised, shoving the garbage bag into her purse before smiling at him in her most charming way. "Have a nice day," she said pleasantly to the suspicious man. Hurrying away, Buffy kept the serene smile on her face until she was out of sight, and she stopped to dig out the bag. Looking around, she noticed how many people were out, despite the weather, and decided to wait until she got back to Hogwarts. Continuing down the sidewalk, she crossed the street to try her luck there.

It was two hours later when Buffy found it. It being the dress. The Dress. The dress of her fashion dreams. It was beautiful, red with gold embroidery. After checking the size, Buffy was even more convinced that it was the Dress when it revealed itself to be a size 3. "It's fate. Kismet. Karma for all the good things I've done. It's like God sent me here specifically for this dress. I can't pass it up. No way. That would be like...like denying a dying woman the alcoholic beverage of her choice. Or putting Bonnie in prison but letting Clyde go. It would be criminal! Cordelia would never forgive me." She was about to ask the sales lady if she could take it off the mannequin to try it on when she saw the other dress.

Unlike the Dress of her dreams, which had made her giddy and excited, this dress sent a shiver up her spine. And it wasn't a good shiver. It was cream colored with spaghetti straps. The bodice looked like it would be tight while the rest was made to flow. It was the dress from her dream, but not her fashion dream. Her dream she had shared with Sirius the first week she was at Hogwarts. It was so long ago, she had nearly forgotten. Buffy reached out to touch it, and everything faded away.

* * *

Harry was a mass of nerves. Bad nerves. The nervous kind of nerves. Because he was about to do what any insane guy with a death wish would do. He was about to ask his best friends sister out. Never mind that his brain was screaming at him to run like a coward. Never mind that he knew he should talk to Ron first. Never mind that his hands were sweating so bad he could barely even grip his quill as he stared across the room. He just knew that if he didn't do this now, he never would.

Standing up, Harry straightened his shoulders and set his quill down. _No more procrastinating or stalling, _he berated himself before beginning to march towards Ginny Weasley, who was reading a book by the fire. The other Gryffindors in the Common Room all stopped what they were doing to surreptitiously watch him. They all knew what he was doing, and they had even started a betting pool, managing to keep it a secret from any of the Weasley's, which was no easy feat.

He had gotten within three feet of Ginny before Harry abruptly turned his back on her. The Gryffindors present silently groaned and rolled their eyes, shooting each other looks and hand gestures. Angelina and Katie had a silent conversation with each other, consisting mostly of nods, head shaking, gesturing and glares. Finally, Angelina sighed and set her book down before casually approaching an oblivious Harry. 'Tripping' when she reached him, she 'accidentally' shoved him back into the couch, where he landed against Ginny.

"Sorry," she said to him, shrugging before turning away and dusting off her hands in triumph. A few Gryffindors had to get up and leave, lest they start laughing and give themselves away. The ones with more control stayed and put their books down, not even bothering to pretend they weren't paying attention anymore. Neither Harry nor Ginny noticed, however, as each were preoccupied with untangling her necklace with his. Faces inches apart, Harry stopped and looked up into Ginny's eyes and blurted it out.

"Will you go to the Yule Ball with me?" He asked in a rush, so that it sounded more like "Willy got to theyallball wime?" but Ginny understood perfectly because she eagerly nodded.

"Yes, I will," she said in an equal rush, but every body understood it because they silently cheered behind the smitten couples backs before they turned around. That's when they got back to pretending to work.

* * *

_"Buffy, will you take the trash out?" A woman in her mid-thirties asked, stirring something in a saucepan. _

_"Sure Mom," the young girl replied, grabbing the garbage bag from the trashcan and trying to lift it. It didn't budge however, and soon she grew frustrated and her eyes filled with tears. She kept yanking, wiggling it around to no avail. Shooting a look at her preoccupied mother, 10-year-old Buffy's shoulders slumped. Trying one more time to lift the heavy bag, it came out easily when a masculine hand reached out and covered hers before helping her pull. Turning, Buffy looked up at her Dad. "Thanks, Daddy," she said, giving him a sad smile._

_"Don't worry pumpkin," the man replied, picking her up, trash bag and all. "We'll both take out the trash, okay?" Hank said, tweaking his young daughter's nose._

_"Sure," she replied, feeling happier. They exited the house, Joyce smiling fondly at their retreating backs. When they reached the garbage cans at the end of the driveway, Buffy deposited her bag and hugged her Dad. "I wanna grow up to be strong just like you," she announced, squeezing her arms around his neck._

_"And you will, honey. But don't let it bother you if you're not very strong. It doesn't matter what you can and can't do. What matters is that you try your best and never give up, ok?" Hank smiled at his daughter lovingly._

_"I love you, Daddy," Buffy replied with all the seriousness a 10-year-old could muster._

_"I love you too, Cupcake," Hank stated, giving her a quick squeeze._

_They couldn't have realized that six years later, Hank would begin to forget that love he once felt for his daughter, and by the time fifteen years had passed, it became unimportant.

* * *

_

Buffy's eyes shot open and a few tears escaped. She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand and brought the other one away from the fabric of the dress. She didn't know why she had remembered that particular time in her life. Maybe because that was when she had been innocent, when Hank had loved her. _But why now?_ She wondered, confused. _Why am I remembering that now? I had forgotten it. Is it important?_ Shrugging off her musings, Buffy glanced longingly towards the Dress in the window, then back to the one in front of her.

It was obvious what she had to do. The dress was here for a reason, as was she, so that must mean there was also a reason for her to buy it and wear it tomorrow. Sighing in resolve, she picked the dress up and headed to the counter. After all, she couldn't control destiny. It must be kismet, fate, for her to be here and find this dress. Stopping in mid-stride, she looked back at the perfect dress of her fashion dreams and grinned. _Well, destiny never said anything about not having cake and eating it too, _Buffy reasoned before grabbing the red one too. That was a kind of kismet she believed in.

* * *

Tom Riddle, AKA Lord Voldemort, AKA Soon-to-be Master of the World was bored. Strange for an evil genius, he knew that. But bored he was. And also a mite bit pissed. Of course, he was taking it out on his loyal, and not so loyal, subject Peter Pettigrew, AKA Wormtail, AKA Spineless Coward Too Stupid To Live.

"I'm angry, Wormtail," he announced, flouncing into his throne room. Voldemort didn't like the verb flounce, but flounce he did, and he was willing to kill anyone who had the guts to even suggest that he did such action.

"Yes, Master," the Spineless Coward and so on sniveled, bowing before his Magnificent, All-Knowing, All-Seeing, and extremely handsome master. Well, maybe Voldemort made up that last part, because he, above anyone else, knew that his face left a lot to be desired. He also wouldn't admit that out loud to anyone, and how dare someone say so in the first place? Luckily, they were all cowards, and they never said so. At least not to his aforementioned less-than-desired face.

"Do you know why I'm angry?" He asked, and didn't bother to wait for an answer. "Because that blasted Summers twit has outwitted me again! But this is the last time. I give her no more chances. She has made a fool out of me, and if there is one thing I hate, it's being made to be a fool." Even Voldemort himself realized he was growing redundant. And theatrical. Well, he wasn't above theatrics, not if they got desired results. "She dies tomorrow, along with the Potter brat and Dumbledore."

Sweeping out of the room, Voldemort headed to his personal rooms to begin the nightly grooming process that was so important to him.

* * *

Review please!

Pointless Question: If you had to choose a fictional character to date, who would it be and why?


	20. Is This What It Feels Like?

**Title: **Bound by Loyalty

**Rating:** PG-13

**Spoilers:** Harry Potter- Pretty much books 1-4.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Seasons 1-5 and some of season 6.

**Pairings: **Buffy/Sirius Black, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione

**Summary:** Buffy gets a letter inviting her to help teach at Hogwarts. Dumbledore tells her about the fight with Voldemort, and she agrees to help protect Harry Potter. While there, she learns things about herself that she never knew, and she finds a way to live. Meanwhile, Sirius Black can't stop thinking about the blonde Slayer that has suddenly invaded his life.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of them. Buffy goes to Whedon, and Harry and everybody in the Potter-verse go to Rowling. If you don't recognize anyone, they're probably mine. I do own the plot, though. Don't sue. Please.

**Author's note:** Here's another chapter. I'm going to try to wrap this up soon, I promise. Thanks to **Toniboo, Serrafina, chrmedslayer, spk, Lola, JadedTruth, ChargedPotential, Toowhiteprincess, The Dragon's Lady, justchillinlikeavillan, The Insane Imortal Dragon, JessAngelus, and Chrizz** for reviewing.

* * *

**Chapter 20: Is This What It Feels Like?**

'We walked together hand in hand  
So happy…not a care in the world  
You had me  
And I had you…  
Deeply in love  
Wished I could had lasted forever…  
But fate intervened  
Ripped us apart with lies and false truths  
Our bond collapsed  
Thrown in to disarray  
My heart crumbles as I tread this path alone  
Alone on this dark road…  
Watching the pictures of our time  
Heart breaking as the pictures circle my mind…  
Broken dreams are all that I have left  
Now all I have is dreams of my death.'

-Tommy "Broken Dreams"

(Dec. 17, Hogwarts) 7:30 PM

It had already begun. She could hear the music floating through the hallways and reaching her room. Soft music, mixed with the sound of laughter and teenage kids talking. Buffy frowned at herself in the mirror before making a face at her reflection. Her blonde hair was a mass of curls, half of it held back in a butterfly clip. The cream dress she had found fit her like a dream, and though it wasn't her first choice, Buffy wasn't too disappointed with the results. Her makeup was elegant and simple.

Closing her eyes, she tried to focus her thoughts. For some reason, she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. The part of her stomach that usually took over when an apocalypse was near. The Slayer tried to pass it off as indigestion, but she of all people knew that she had to trust a Slayer's instinct. And her instinct was telling her that something was going to happen. And soon. Her instinct was also propelling her towards the unopened garbage bag sitting on her nightstand.

She glanced at it, feeling like something was pulling her towards it. She resisted, though, slightly afraid for some unknown reason. "Oh, this is ridiculous," Buffy muttered, smoothing her dress. She strode towards her bed, grabbing the bag and sitting down. Buffy only stared at it for a few moments before rolling her eyes and tearing it open. She was still hesitant in reaching in.

Silently cursing herself, Buffy shoved her hand into the bag and rooted around through clumps of grass and dirt. Screwing up her face in concentration, she grunted when she finally touched soft leather. Pulling the object out, she tossed the bag into the garbage can and set the object on the bed next to her. It was a small pouch, and when she held it, it was fairly hefty. Shaking her head, Buffy quickly grabbed it and opened it, spilling out its contents.

"Wow," was all she said, staring at the first object. It was a knife, shiny and sharp. Just the way she liked them. It took her a few minutes before she finally broke out of her trance and picked it up. The handle was intricately carved with unknown symbols, and there was a swirling design on the steel of the blade. She felt something as she held it. Something...unexplainable, yet so right. Like it was an extended appendage. The Slayer in her stood at attention, taking notice, almost like she was...calling to the blade. It felt right, yet dark. Very dark. Bloodthirsty. Shaking off the notion, she strapped the knife to her thigh, thinking that a little extra might not be a bad thing.

Next she looked at the other object lying on the bed. Seeing took her breath away. It was a necklace. The chain was a beautiful silver, gleaming at her, begging her to put it around her neck. There was a medallion on the chain, about the size of a quarter. In the middle of the medallion was a small green stone, and surrounding the stone were symbols matching the one on the strange knife. Yet, when she picked it up, it didn't feel dark. It didn't call out to her blood. Instead of exciting the Slayer, it soothed her, sending a trill of soft music. It sounded like...laughter.

"Okay. Slightly freaky, in a not-so-freaky way. Hey, I'm the Slayer, right? Yeah. Nothing scares me." _Yet that's not true_, Buffy thought, staring at her reflection in the mirror as she put on the necklace. _I'm afraid of myself, aren't I?_

* * *

Sirius shoved his hand into his hair, softly cursing when he realized that he messed up the careful hairstyle it was in. He was aware that he had slightly untamed hair, and for the life of him, he wanted to make a good impression on Buffy.

"Yeah. Good impression. She's 20 minutes late," he grumbled, scowling up at the stairs, then at an approaching Harry.

His godson grinned at his obvious restlessness. "Is she late?" He asked, knowing the answer, but wanted to rile Sirius.

"Yes, dammit, she's late. Like always."

"She is late a lot, isn't she? She's also pushy, stubborn, temperamental, and I think she's a little violent. Can you deal with that?" Harry asked him, staring up at him intently.

Sirius searched his face, finding concern and curiosity. He smiled slightly. "I know she's pushy, stubborn, temperamental, and slightly violent. I also know she's sweet, smart, beautiful, protective, wise, funny, and...she's everything. That's what I love...Oh, god."

Harry felt his eyes widen before he sent a furtive glance around and grabbed and astonished Sirius' arm before yanking him into a corner. "Do you realize what you just said?" He hissed, looking behind him to make sure a certain Slayer wasn't sneaking up on them.

Sirius leaned on the wall, banging his head against it. He didn't just say...did he? No. He couldn't have. No. Sirius Black did not just say that he...**_loved_** someone. Sirius Black did not fall in love with women. Women fell in love with him. He wasn't being arrogant, just factual. He adored women. He loved everything about them. Their smell, their unique way of viewing something. He just didn't _love_ love them. Not until now. But there was something about her. Something...fiercely emotional. She had yet to show much emotion at Hogwarts, but he could see it, simmering beneath her skin. It was in her eyes when she thought no one could see her. Her eyes, as sharp as an emerald one minute and as soft as grass the next. She had a heart bigger than anyone he had ever known, yet she was tough. She understood things, understood how people felt, how sometimes a person had no control over their own feelings.

She didn't make somebody feel dumb for the way that they felt, knowing that people thought differently, made different decisions. Buffy Summers was...everything.

He groaned. "Yeah, I realize what I just said. Well, this kind of sucks."

His damn godson just laughed at him. Sirius glared. "You are so grounded this summer." Which made Harry laugh even more.

He glanced towards the stairs, his heart kicking into overdrive when he noticed the woman making her way down. Sirius could feel himself break into a cold sweat.

Buffy smiled at him, her beautiful smile, her eyes soft. Then her grin turned mischievous. "Nice hair."

* * *

_A Slytherin never shows fear, Draco. They inspire fear._

_Never ask for help, or admit you are wrong._

_We are better than them, and we will always be better than them. Don't you ever forget that._

"Oh, shut up," Draco whispered to his dad's voice, which had been repeating things he'd heard all his life in his head. He covertly watched Professor Summers and Harry dancing together and laughing. He felt a pang of...wistfulness, though he would kill anyone who would dare say that out loud.

He shook off his melancholy. Draco had a mission, and that mission was to talk to Summers. So he marched over to her as soon as the song ended.

"Professor Summers?" He called, waiting until she turned to him, Harry staring at him in a funny way. "May I speak with you a minute?" Draco asked politely. Summers grinned at him.

"Sure," she replied before turning to Harry. "I'll be right back."

Draco led her to an unoccupied corner. He turned to face Summers, not saying anything for a moment. She waited patiently. "My dad wants to turn me into a Death Eater," he finally blurted out.

Summers straightened and her face got serious. "Oh, Draco. Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I don't want it. I never wanted it. And I just... I just don't know what to do anymore," he told her, his voice getting thick with unshed tears. He was surprised when the slight blonde pulled him into a hug. He felt a few tears escape and desperately tried to hold them back.

"It's okay, Draco. Everything is going to be okay. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Trust me." Buffy told him, rubbing a soothing hand on his back.

Draco pulled away, swiping away the wetness on his cheeks. He refused to look weak. "Why does he do this?" He demanded. "Why is he bad? Why does he expect me to follow in his footsteps? I don't want to be him. I like it here! I like being...alive, dammit! I don't want to have to hurt anybody."

Buffy sighed. "People make bad decisions, Draco. Sometimes, they can't pull away from that. They get stuck with those bad choices, and they have to live with them. You aren't like him. You'll never be like him. Do you want to know why?" He nodded. "Because you made a different choice. You were strong. You're stronger than him. Okay?"

The Slytherin Prince gave a slight smile. "I don't feel very strong," he admitted.

"You will. I want you to tell Dumbledore, okay? Can you do that for me?"

Draco gave her a nod. He dreaded the upcoming meeting, but Buffy's words gave him something...hope. And it was spectacular.

* * *

It felt good, being in his arms. Buffy and Sirius swayed to the music, her head resting on his shoulder and his arms wrapped around his waist. Peaceful...and oh-so-good. She giggled a little.

"Buffy?" Sirius said, tightening his arms.

"Yeah?" She replied, lifting up her head to look him in the eyes.

"I think that you're rather wonderful," he replied in a teasing voice. "Thank you," he said, in a more serious manner.

"For what?" Buffy scrunched up her nose.

"Everything. You're...everything." Sirius got a funny look on his face. She was about to ask him about it when the song finally ended and she got distracted.

"I...I have to go to the bathroom," she told him, giving his arm a pat before leaving the room and a confused and hurt Sirius behind.

The Slayer felt something inexplicably pulling her outside. She followed Harry Potter outside, knowing that something big was happening. Harry was obviously being pulled out by the same force, and for the life of her, Buffy had no idea what it was, or why she didn't stop to get reinforcements. She just knew that Harry was going into the Forbidden Forest, and she needed to be there.

* * *

It took at least ten minutes before Sirius realized something was wrong. He scanned the room, not seeing Buffy nor Harry anywhere. He frantically searched every nook and cranny, as well as the corridors and the bathrooms on the first floor. Sirius gave up and turned in defeat, rushing to inform the Headmaster that something was very, very wrong.

Soon, a concerned Albus Dumbledore and an angry Order were searching the grounds, coming up with nothing. It was quite obvious that the Slayer and the Boy-Who-Lived were missing. And they were in the Forbidden Forest.

* * *

Buffy felt her dress snag on a branch, tearing a leaving a piece of fabric. She cursed, wishing that she had worn the red one, knowing that it wouldn't catch on the branches and cause such a nuisance. She had caught up with Harry, neither one of them talking, just walking through the snow covered forest with wet flakes slowly drifting down.

The knife on her thigh pulsed, and the necklace gave an answering throb. They were there.

'There' was a small clearing. And, of course, in the middle of the clearing stood a certain Dark Lord, otherwise known as Voldemort, otherwise known as the Pain In Buffy's Ass.

Voldemort smiled, and it was filled with cruelty. Soon he was surrounded by Death Eaters.

"Well. Shit." Buffy said softly.

* * *

"Oh, thank God," Sirius muttered, kneeling before a bush. "She's over this way!" He called out the his fellow Order members, gesturing to the fabric of Buffy's dress caught in the branch.

They all surged forward, hoping to get there on time.

"Hello Harry," a sinister voice, one that Harry had often heard in his nightmares, said calmly.

"Voldemort," he replied hatefully, pulling out his wand. He saw Buffy lift her dress from the corner of his eyes. Harry glanced over curiously. Oh. She was taking out a knife. Well, good for her.

"Buffy," the Slayer said, cocking her head. "Long time, no see, Voldy. How have ya been?"

"Miss Summers. What a...pleasant surprise. What are you doing here?"

"Well, duh. I'm here to kill you." She rolled her eyes. Then everything went to hell when the Order burst into the clearing, prompting the Death Eaters to attack. The fight was on.

* * *

It seemed like it took hours, but it was only 15 minutes.

Sirius felt as if it were hours. Didn't it usually feel like everything was going in slow motion as your life was crumbling before your eyes.

He fought, and he fought hard.

He even beat them. He killed a few, and some got away.

None of that mattered. By the time the rest of the Death Eaters ran, two Order members were dead. It was nothing compared to the ten dead Death Eaters, but it was enough.

But none of that mattered.

What mattered was what was happening in the middle.

The two people who meant the most to him were engaged in a battle of their own. What was worse was the fact that he couldn't get to them. None of them could, no matter how many spells they threw at the shield surrounding Buffy, Harry and Voldemort. All Sirius could do was watch and feel as if his world was ending.

* * *

Buffy grinned maliciously at Voldemort, approaching him as Harry slung curses his way and Voldemort shouted them back. She dodged a few, knife clutched in her hands. Buffy was almost there, her knife held at the ready.

Then it all went wrong. Voldemort threw a curse at Harry that caused ropes to tie him up. He frantically worked on a counter-spell, but it was too late.

"Avada Kadavra!"

"No!" Harry screamed along with Sirius.

Buffy watched in fascination as the bolt of green shot her way, unable to leap to the side.

It struck her chest, knocking her back a bit.

But she stayed on her feet, looking down in confusion. She should be dead. She knew that.

"What?" Voldemort roared in anger and astonishment.

Her necklace. It was glowing green. Somehow, it had stopped the killing curse. She was alive. It had never felt so good. For so long, for so many years, she had wanted to die. Had wanted to go back to Heaven. But now, faced with death, she didn't want it anymore. Buffy wanted to live. She wanted the pain, and the heartache of living. Because living wasn't just pain. It was beautiful, and messy, and she wanted it.

Buffy smiled at Harry, who gave a smile back, then she looked at a relieved Sirius, a confused Sirius who started frantically slinging curses at the shield. Then she turned to Voldemort and held up her knife.

"Sometimes, something's are bigger and stronger than you, Voldy. Sorry, but it's the facts of life," she said, approaching once again.

But Voldemort was not to be defeated. Yelling one final curse, the curse that changed everything, he pointed his wand at the Slayer. And Buffy knew it was over.

Her knife turned itself on her. She was helpless to stop it as it embedded itself into her heart.

Buffy Summers was dead before she even hit the ground.

"NO!"

* * *

(Sunnydale, California)

"No," Dawn Summers whispered, eyes widening as she sprang to her feet.

"Dawn, what's wrong?" Shawna asked, frowning at her friend. Rick looked up at the pretty brunette in concern.

Dawn ignored them, grabbing the phone and punching in a number. "Something's wrong," she said when Giles picked up.

"Buffy's dead."

Then she began to cry, broken sobs filling the room. Her sister was dead.

* * *

(Forbidden Forest)

Seeing the Slayer on the ground, rage filled Harry until he was blind with it, until he was so furious the ropes melted away.

He looked Voldemort in the eyes, and the Dark Lord knew it was over.

"Avada Kadavra!"

Harry didn't think, he only felt. For so long, he thought it would be tough, taking a humans life. But it wasn't difficult. He felt nothing but contempt until Voldemort lay on the ground, dead. Then he felt his heart break when he saw Buffy again, saw Sirius and Snape rush over to her when the shields went down.

There was blood on the snow. It was garish, frightening to see the contrast of pure white with the awfulness of the red. Sirius was crying, tears freely coursing down his cheeks. He felt his own tears on his face.

Buffy Summers was dead.

* * *

(December 20th, Hogwarts)

They were all gathered together. They Sunnydale gang and the Hogwarts student and teacher body. Harry finally got to meet Buffy's friends, and they were everything she had said they were. They were wonderful.

It was so difficult. Saying goodbye. But standing there, next to her closed coffin, facing the crowd, he found strength to speak.

"Some of you never really talked to her, never really met her. But you all knew who she was. How she was. Since the very moment Buffy showed up, she brought something to this school. At first, it was a gradual awareness of human beings. Then it was some much needed laughter. I'm sure you all remember the joke she played on Peeves."

That got some quiet laughter.

"He'll never be the same, I must say. She brought so much to us, but I think that the most wonderful thing that she gave us, that she handed to us, was hope. We've all felt how it was before...before she showed up. We were scared. Scared of our shadows. Scared of what was out there. But she was there. And she made it somehow...better."

Harry paused, tearing up. There were very few dry eyes in the crowd. He glanced at Sirius in the front row, tears coursing down his cheeks once again. Willow and Xander were silently crying, but Dawn was sobbing quietly. He felt his heart hurt a little bit.

"It's difficult standing up here, knowing that this is goodbye. That I'll never see her again. Never...never hear her laugh, or tell a stupid joke, or t-teach a lesson again. I'll never see her stuffing her face in the Great Hall. Or take her flying. She loved to fly. She told me that she felt so free, like all her burdens and worries were left on the ground, leaving just her in the air. I want to tell her that, because of her, I feel that way now."

He took a breath, unable to speak.

"She saved my life. I only wish that I could have saved her. She made a difference for everyone of you, and for that, I will always be grateful. I love you, Buffy Summers. May the angels bless you." He left a rose on her casket, touching the dark mahogany before laying a kiss on it.

Sitting down, he gave rubbed Sirius' back.

Many students came forward to share things about Buffy and to say goodbye.

"She always had a smile..."

"Buffy made my day brighter..."

"She brought hope and happiness..."

"She saw me..." That was from Neville.

"Buffy told me I was strong. She told me that some people make choices that they can't pull away from, and because I made a different choice, I'm strong. I never got to tell her that she was the strong one." That was from Draco Malfoy, whose father was sitting in Azkaban. Draco had testified against Lucius, insuring that he got stuck in the wizarding jail.

Dawn went up to speak, though it was obvious that it was difficult. "I always anticipated her letters, regaling me of all the adventures and mishaps of Hogwarts. I could tell that she loved it here, loved everything about it. That's one of the reasons why I chose that she should stay here. My sister was the best person in the world. She was smart, and strong, and so wise. And she loved me. She once told me that the hardest thing to do in this world was to live in it. But she wants us all to live. For her. I love you, Buffy. I miss you."

Sirius was last. He stood there for a moment, staring at the setting sun. "It feels like she's been here for so long, though it was only a few short months. I..." he stopped. "I don't have any fancy words to say, I don't have a speech prepared. How do you prepare a speech for something like this? How do you prepare a speech when your heart is broken. All I have is what's in here," he pointed to his heart, "broken as it is. Buffy is...was everything. Everything good in this world. She was the reason why...the reason why I got up in the morning. I loved her with everything I had in me. It wasn't enough. Sometimes, love isn't enough. She shouldn't be in **there**. She should be out here, laughing, having a good time. It's not fair that she has to die. This wasn't even her fight!" He was shouting now, hot tears streaming down his face.

"She didn't belong here! This wasn't her fight! But she was here. And she fought for us, and we won. But she didn't. She saved us all. She saved me." He dropped to his knees in anguish, sobbing, as Harry rushed over and gathered him in his arms.

"Is this was it feels like? Is this was a broken heart feels like?" Snape asked Sirius, who hadn't even know he was there.

"Like your world is collapsing, and there's nothing you can do?"

"Then I think that I have a broken heart."

Snape finally cried.

_The End.

* * *

_

Well, what do you think?


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